


Love Finds A Way

by orphan_account



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: KevEdd - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 16:37:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 76,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1517612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevedd. High school can be difficult to navigate under the best of circumstances. What happens when two boys find unlikely love? Rated M for language, some violence, and sexual content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Edd slid the last of his books neatly into place in his locker. He took a pen to the miniature calendar hung on the back wall—a gift from the observatory for all of his volunteer hours over the summer—and drew a neat line through the box corresponding to the current date. Grinning, he adjusted his bag and stood, rolling his shoulders back. He’d made it through the first week of high school without incident.

_Perhaps the horror stories I have heard regarding the treatment of so-called “nerds” such as myself are merely that: stories._

He had done his best to keep his head down and not draw attention to himself, but still, he considered himself lucky. He could keep this up for four years without difficulty; he was sure of it. With a bounce in his step, he trotted down the halls, eager to meet Ed and Eddy in front of the school to commence their walk home together. He rounded a corner and saw a familiar face by the water fountain. Slowing his pace, he stepped out of the flow of students.

“Greetings, Kevin!” he said brightly. He reached a hand up to adjust his hat and smiled.

“Oh, hey, Double Dork.” Kevin turned at the waist to greet his neighbor. The nickname came easily and kindly, a habit from their childhood days. “How’s it hangin’?”

“My week has gone unexpectedly well, thank you. Has yours lived up to expectations?”

“Sure. I guess. Made some new friends,” Kevin gestured at behind him at the two girls standing there. “Brit, Mikayla, this is Edd. He’s been my neighbor since we were kids.”  
“Salutations!” Edd extended a hand in greeting. When the girls simply stared at him, his smile began to falter and he withdrew his hand.

“Kevin,” the blonder of the two whined. “Why are you talking to this _dork_ when you could be talking to us?” She leaned on his arm and smiled at him flirtatiously.

“Hey, he may be a dork, but he’s not bad if you give him a chance!” Kevin stepped away from the girl and threw an arm around Edd’s shoulders. With an uncertain smile, Edd extended his hand again in a gesture of friendliness.

The girl sniffed and looked away. “Whatever, Kevin. We’ll see you later. Maybe. Come on, Mikayla.” The girls linked arms and walked away, whispering furiously.

Kevin looked down and thought he caught a glimpse of moisture in Edd’s eyes. Before he could bring it up, Edd ducked out from underneath his arm and gave him a thin-lipped smile. He expressed his need to catch up with his friends before they left him behind and ran off, turning to give a quick wave before turning the corner. Kevin rubbed the back of his neck.

_Poor kid_ , he thought. He stared after him for a moment and then ran off to find the girls.

* * *

“Double D! What the hell, man?” Eddy jumped up from the front steps and snatched up his backpack. “We’ve been waiting for, like, forever.”

“Actually, Eddy, considering that the dismissing bell only rang five and a half minutes ago and that the traffic flow of students is incredibly inefficient, to say the least, I would likely be correct in predicting that you have only been waiting a mere three to four minutes.” Eddy rolled his eyes, and Edd smiled. “However, I appreciate the sentiment and reciprocate your feelings. I missed you, too.”

Eddy swiped at Edd’s hat in jest. “Oh, put a sock in it, Double D. Come on. Ed ran off after a butterfly or something. He’s probably halfway home by now.”

Edd shifted his bag further to the side and set off with his friend. He listened with a faint smile as Eddy proposed a series of ideas for their senior prank (never mind that they were only freshmen at the moment). Having perfected the art of appearing as though he were listening, it took a few moments before Edd realized that he was walking alone. He slowed to a stop, looking around him.

“Eddy?”

Hearing no response, Edd uneasily started toward home again, figuring the mischievous teen had found some distraction or other. The silence left him alone to brood. He _almost_ made it through the entire week without incident. Why was there such a stigma attached to the title of “nerd”? Intelligence is something to be proud of, to cherish.

_Perhaps they believe I feel myself superior_ , he mused, _a misconception that could be easily eradicated should anyone take the time to speak with me._

He pondered for a few more minutes before shaking it off. He could accept the week as a success despite the minor occurrence this afternoon. Besides, it happened after school had ended; technically his school week had ended flawlessly. With this thought in mind, his mood lightened considerably. He relaxed, easing his shoulders back down to their natural position, just in time to be enveloped in two strong arms. Effortlessly placing a face to the enthusiastic hug, Edd squeaked out a greeting to the largest of the Eds.

“Double D! I missed you! I sculpted your face into my gravy at lunch as a present, but I ate it. I hope you aren’t mad at me.” Ed squinted down at his friend, concern creasing his brow.

“Not at all, Ed! I am quite flattered by the gesture! Now, if you could perhaps set me down?” Edd wheezed.

Ed immediately released his grip and Edd staggered free. Eddy slapped him on the back, causing him to stumble before Ed caught and righted him. Sandwiched between his friends, Edd allowed his earlier grin to creep back across his lips as they turned into the familiar cul-de-sac.


	2. Chapter 2

Edd placed the final touches on his “All About Me” essay and frowned at it. He detested such mediocre essay prompts due for the most part to his dislike for speaking about himself. He sighed and saved it to a flash drive. He would have to print it out in the school library on Monday. His homework complete, he set about the chores his parents had left for him, neatly placing each sticky note into the recycling bin as he finished the task written on it. When he ran out of sticky notes, he retired back to his room and sat on the bed, looking around the room in boredom.

He loved school and enjoyed attending classes again, but he loathed the first week’s distinct lack of homework. He was able to complete his work far more quickly than he’d hoped and now he was out of tasks to keep his mind occupied. Loud laughter from the cul-de-sac caught his attention. He slid open his window and leaned out into the warm afternoon. Nazz and Kevin were strolling past Edd’s house, laughing at something on Nazz’s phone. Edd considered calling out to his friends, but they seemed to be passing by without a glance. He stood up and was shutting the window again when Kevin caught sight of him.

“Hey, Double D! Come down here, we want to talk to you!”

“O-oh! Of course! I’ll be right down!” Edd shut the window carefully and ran down the stairs. When he pulled the door open, Nazz and Kevin were standing on the front lawn waiting for him.

“Hi, Edd!” Nazz exclaimed. She threw her arms around him in a quick hug. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you all week!”

“I’ve been well, Nazz, thank you. We are taking different tracks of study, you know. I am in the science track and I believe you are in the music track?” Edd raised his voice, looking for confirmation.

“Right on,” she said. “How did you remember that?”

“Well, you have carried a propensity toward music ever since you joined the Peach Creek Youth Choir, have you not? I merely made a deduction based on facts I have acquired in the past.”

Nazz giggled and waved him away. “You haven’t changed a bit, Double D. Vocabulary as big as always.”

Kevin butted in. “So are you coming to the party tonight? Nazz’s parents are out of town, so it’ll be sick.”

Edd hesitated and twisted the hem of his shirt. “Oh, I don’t know…I’m not really one for parties, and it is vital to my health that I keep a regular sleeping schedule…”

“Aw, come on, Edd!” Nazz grabbed his slender shoulders in an easy side-hug. “It’ll be fun! You don’t have to stay very long if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah,” Kevin said, “at least stop by!”

“Well…” Edd deliberated. _I_ am _lacking in activities for the evening_. “Alright. I’ll come.”

“Great!” Nazz said. She waved goodbye as she hopped on the back of Kevin’s bike.

“See you at seven, Dork!” Kevin called out as they sped away.

Edd waved until they were out of sight and then allowed his shoulders to slump. _What was I thinking? Deliberately placing myself in a social situation goes against every rule I’ve established for my high school years._ He shook his head and turned to reenter his house.

A small, round object whistled past his ear and cracked into the door in front of him. He squealed and leapt backwards. Hand over his pounding heart, he bent down to retrieve the object. The wrapper crackled in his hand as he examined and identified the object as a jawbreaker. Grinning, he turned around to face Eddy, removing the candy and popping it into his mouth as he did so.

“Good afternoon, Eddy!” He ignored the scowl on the short boy’s face. He knew what it was for, and he anticipated the words that came next.

“What are you doing talking to that jerk?” Eddy demanded.

“If I am correct in assuming you are referring to Kevin, then I am also correct in stating that he is not a jerk at all. Surely you must realize by now that the only cul-de-sac kid that Kevin has not befriended is yourself.”

Edd turned and walked into his house, aware that Eddy was following. He gestured to the rack set by the door to collect shoes. Eddy rolled his eyes as he pulled his worn sneakers off. He flopped down on the couch with a huff.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “Traitor.”

Edd smiled and stepped into the kitchen to prepare beverages. Setting the glasses on the counter, he added ice to Eddy’s and carefully filled both with lemonade from the refrigerator. He moved the glasses to a tray and added a box of whole-grain crackers before moving swiftly back into the living room. Eddy grabbed a glass with a mumbled “thanks” and turned the TV on. He flipped through channels faster than Edd could process the images that flashed across the screen, finally settling on an extreme eating show. Eddy seemed to find amusement in watching the host eat increasingly disgusting and unsafely prepared foods, but Edd watched with morbid fascination. The camera crew had done a stupendous job at making the host appear presentable, attractive even, but Edd could see the tell-tale signs of an unhealthy lifestyle. _Why would anybody do this to themselves?_ A quick succession of knocks on the door broke him from his ponderings. Skipping to the door, he pulled it open to reveal a grinning Ed. He invited the large boy inside and dashed off to prepare him a cool glass of lemonade.

A glance at the kitchen clock revealed that Edd would need to prepare for the party soon or risk being late. He left the lemonade with Ed and excused himself upstairs for a quick shower. He fumbled around in his closet for something suitable to wear for several minutes before finally just putting on the clothes he’d worn to school. He readjusted his hat, allowed a few locks of hair to fall loose by his ears, and descended the stairs again. He found Ed and Eddy waiting by the door.

“Are you ready yet?” Eddy demanded. “We’re gonna be late.”


	3. Chapter 3

A few short steps across the street and they trio stood in front of Nazz’s house. They could hear the music from the street and from the looks of it there were plenty of teens already inside. Eddy slicked his hair back one last time before ringing the doorbell. Nazz threw the door open and invited them inside. Of the three, only Edd paused to thank her; he prided himself on his impeccable manners. He removed his shoes and left them neatly by the door. Wandering into the living room, he pulled his hat down over his ears to muffle the deafening noise coming from the speakers. He quickly passed through to the kitchen where Kevin was helping Nazz pour pineapple juice and generic brand lemon-lime soda into a punch bowl.

“Greetings, Kevin! Do the two of you require any assistance?” Edd asked.

“Oh, uh…sure,” Kevin replied. “Why don’t you grab the cookies and put them on that plate there?”

“Certainly!” Edd moved to the sink to scrub his hands clean.

“Dude, you don’t have to wash your hands. Just dump them on the plate!”

“Cleanliness is vital when handling food products, Kevin. I am merely following standard procedure.”

Kevin scoffed. “Whatever, Dork.”

Edd placed the cookies in a neat spiral on the plastic plate and set them on the counter. Despite his insistence on helping, Nazz assured him that they could handle it and sent him back into the living room to mingle. He obeyed unhappily, choosing a corner far away from the speakers to watch from. Jonny and Rolf stood near the stereo arguing over CDs. Eddy caught sight of himself in the mirror over the mantle and posed for himself. Ed simply ran around the room laughing and engaging in a motion that Edd decided must be his goofy friend’s version of dancing. Jimmy and Sarah were nowhere to be seen; they were still in middle school.

Edd grimaced; he could feel a headache developing. Just when he thought he would have to leave the party prematurely, a ring of the doorbell had Kevin lowering the volume while Nazz answered the door and paid for the tower of pizza boxes. The teens descended on the food like rabid badgers, taking seats around the room to eat. Nazz, ever the gracious host, ensured that all of her guests had full cups of punch before grabbing a plate. She stood in the middle of the room and pretended to tap her plastic cup with her fork.

“May I have everyone’s attention!” she shouted. “I would like to thank you guys for coming and wish everyone a great school year. Here’s to us freshmen!”

The group lifted their cups and cheered. Edd grinned and looked around at his friends. _How lucky I am!_ he thought. He nibbled at his food, trying not to seem rude, but the greasy pizza made his insides crawl. He was grateful when Rolf found a trash bag and rounded up the remains of the meal without a second thought. Nazz had Kevin push the coffee table up against the wall so the group could sit in a circle together. Once everyone had gathered round, she announced a game of Truth or Dare.

“I’ll go first,” she said. She rubbed her chin, looking around for a victim. Edd stared hard at his socks, praying it wouldn’t be him. “Rolf!” she announced. “Truth or dare?”

Without hesitation, Rolf chose dare. This surprised no one; despite their years living in the cul-de-sac together, nobody seemed to know anything about him and he seemed intent on keeping it that way. Nazz dared him to fit as many cookies into his mouth as possible. He reached his limit at twelve, impressing the entire group. He chewed and swallowed with little difficulty before selecting Jonny. The standoffish boy chose truth.

“Have you ever kissed a girl?” Rolf asked.

Jonny blushed and ducked his head. “Yes…”

“You have! Who?”

Jonny mumbled something, cheeks burning red.

“Speak up! We cannot understand your words!”

“May! It was May. Alright? Sheesh.” Jonny called on Kevin before anybody could tease him. Nazz hid her grin behind her hand.

“I’ll take a dare,” Kevin said. Jonny challenged him to hop around the room on one leg while whistling “Ring Around the Rosie”. The athletic boy completed the dare without difficult and immediately turned his gaze to Eddy. Edd winced. _This will not end favorably._

“Alright, Eddy. Truth or dare?”

Eddy met Kevin’s aggressive glare with one of his own. “Dare. Hit me with your best shot, Shovel-Chin.”

“I dare you to sing Nazz a love song.” Kevin folded his arms, pleased with himself, as Eddy paled. “You got a problem, dork? Too scared to do it?” He clucked like a chicken, with Rolf eagerly joining in. Nazz giggled at the attention and blushed.

“I’m not chicken!” Eddy yelled.

Grumbling to himself, he knelt in front of Nazz and began crooning some pop song that Edd was unfamiliar with. At the end of the serenade, the room broke into applause; even Kevin joined in with a sarcastic slow clap.

“Your turn, Kevin. Truth or dare?” Eddy demanded.

“Dare,” was the immediate response.

“I dare you to jump three trashcans on your bike.”

Kevin immediately rose and walked out the front door. The teens rushed out after him. Jonny and Rolf set about lining up the trashcans. Ed fetched the ramp from Kevin’s garage. Kevin sat on his bike, lining up the jump. Edd ran over to him, nervously wringing his hands.

“Kevin, the odds of injury if you perform this stunt are exceptionally h—”

“Shut up, Double Dork.” Kevin flashed a smile over his shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

Edd hid behind his hands as Kevin successfully made the jump. Eddy and Kevin very quickly descended into a dare war, challenging each other to more extreme things each time. The party followed the pair around, watching in amusement as the boys bent over backwards to emerge victorious. They soon found themselves back in Nazz’s backyard, watching Eddy climb the tree naked. Nazz hid behind Ed’s large frame, giggling, while the boys looked on. Eddy made it to the top and stuck his tongue out at Kevin. Jumping back down, he threw his clothes on and turned to the jock with a wicked grin.

“Here, allow me to win the game and get revenge at the same time!” he said.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “What are you talking about, dork?”

“I dare you…” he paused for dramatic effect, “to kiss Edd!”

Edd backed away, hands held defensively in front of his frail body. “I-I would really prefer to be left out of this disagreement, thank you.”

“Shut it, Double D. Well, Kevin? We’re waiting!” Eddy crossed his arms, a smug grin plastered on his face.

Kevin shrugged and grabbed Edd’s arm. “C’mere, Dork. I won’t bite.”

He pulled the thin boy close and pecked him on the lips. Edd’s face grew bright red and he stammered out an apology as he backed away.

“Oh, no, no,” Eddy shook his finger in disapproval. “Kiss him like you _mean_ it!”

Edd froze, watching Kevin. The jock’s face worked through a series of emotions before determination won out. He advanced on Edd again, gesturing at him with his finger to come closer. Edd stuttered his protest as Kevin gripped his arm again.

“Hey, if you got a problem with it, take it up with your so-called friend,” Kevin said, jerking his thumb at Eddy.

Kevin yanked on Edd’s arm, jerking him up against his body. Wrapping an arm around the boy’s waist, he dipped him towards the ground before pressing their lips together. Edd stiffened, gripping Kevin’s shirt for fear of falling. As the kiss deepened, Edd felt a stirring in his stomach, a warmth that slowly spread to fill his entire body. He found his hands relaxing, his lips melting into Kevin’s. The jock’s hand slowly released its grip on Edd’s arm, making its way to the small of his back. Edd had nearly lost himself in the kiss when an awkward cough jolted him back to reality. His eyes sprang open as Kevin dropped him. The other teens stared in shock.

“Wow, Kev. I didn’t think you’d actually do it,” Nazz whispered.

Kevin shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well…you know. Can’t lose to a _dork_.” He glanced down at Edd, cheeks glowing with a slight blush.

Edd jumped to his feet and ran towards the gate, yelling about an essay that needed editing. The few seconds it took him to get to his house felt like an eternity. He took the stairs by twos and slammed his bedroom door behind him. Pressing his back to the door, he slid down to the carpet and buried his head in his hands. _What have I done?_ he thought, mortified. He pressed his hands into his still-warm cheeks, noting with a start the fluttering in the pit of his stomach.

_Oh, dear lord, what have I done?_


	4. Chapter 4

Edd held his breath as he came around the corner on Monday afternoon, hoping Kevin would be standing at the same water fountain and praying that he wouldn’t be. When he spotted that familiar red hat, his heart fluttered, sending chills down his spine. He swiftly shook them off. _What do you have to be nervous about?_ He took a deep breath and held it as he maneuvered his way across the hall. With a sharp exhale, he greeted the taller boy, his voice coming out in a squeak. Kevin glanced between Edd and the girls uncomfortably.

“Oh. H-hey, Double D.”

Kevin shoved his hands in his pockets and looked everywhere but at Edd. The girls glared at him, shooting daggers into the young boy’s heart. Kevin’s aloof behavior could only be explained by the events of the party. The mere thought of the dare made Edd’s lips burn, but his eyes pricked with the threat of tears. Kevin refused to make eye contact, confirming Edd’s suspicions. He turned on his heel without even a farewell and walked briskly down the hall and out of sight. He took off at a light jog once he was free of the school halls, forcing Ed and Eddy to run to catch up.

“Double D! Wait for me!” Ed shouted. He stopped abruptly; Eddy crashed into him and fell to the ground, shouting obscenities. “That rhymed!” Ed announced. Leaving Eddy on the pavement, he ran to tell Edd of his accomplishment.

Sighing, Edd forced himself to slow his pace to accommodate his friend’s endearing pleas. Ed caught Edd up in a hug and swung him around in a circle, shouting about his rhyme. Edd congratulated him and begged to be let down. Eddy huffed and puffed up to the pair, muttering under his breath. The trio set off again.

“What was that about?” Eddy demanded. Edd shrugged, head down, eyes watching his shoes move along the sidewalk. “Oh, no, you don’t get off that easy. What’s gotten into you? This better not have to do with that jerk Kevin. That guy is no good, you know. Just a first-class asshole, if you ask me.”

“Yes, well, I don’t recall asking you, Eddy. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Edd turned sharply up the path leading to his front door.

Eddy grabbed his arm and spun him around. “What the hell, man?”

“Release me this instant! This is entirely your fault!” Edd snapped his mouth shut when he realized what he was saying. Shaking his head, he turned to unlock the door.

“Wait, _what_ is my fault?”

“Nothing, Eddy. If you’ll excuse me, I have homework to complete.”

Edd shut and locked the door. _That was much too close for comfort. I need to gain control over my emotions. This is totally preposterous._ Edd turned to his homework for comfort and then his chores, burying himself in the work of thoroughly disinfecting the house. His concentration was so intense that he failed to hear his cell phone ring the first, second, and third times. On the fourth, he shut the vacuum off and lifted his goggles to read the caller I.D. Exhaling through his nose, he answered the call.

“Yes, Kevin?”

“Hey, Dork. Are you busy? I need to…talk to you about something.”

Edd’s cheeks flushed red. He resisted the urge to hang up and instead replied, “Unfortunately, I am indeed busy. I appreciate your call, but our conversation will have to wait for another time. Good day!”

Shutting the phone, Edd sank onto the couch. He let his head fall back and groaned, begging silently for a moment of peace from the images of Kevin flashing through his mind. Outside in the cul-de-sac, Kevin watched Edd drop and softly beat his head against the back of the sofa. The jock didn’t think Edd would have taken the snuff in the hall so personally; Kevin wanted to explain that he hadn’t meant it. He was just trying to impress the girls, and Edd didn’t seem to fit into that picture. Chalking it up to the kid’s poor self-esteem, Kevin shrugged and pedaled away, but he couldn’t shake a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was more to Edd’s uncharacteristically foul mood.


	5. Chapter 5

“And so, as you can clearly see, if we find the common denominator, we will be able to—Yes, Edd, you may go to the restroom. For the fourth day in a row.” Mr. Bensen gazed disapprovingly at the pale boy ducking out of the classroom.

Out in the hall, Edd pressed his face to the wall of lockers, deciding that the benefit of the calming coolness on his cheek outweighed the threat of the germs that inevitably thrived on the dirty locker doors. He couldn’t keep this up, he knew that, but he had to try. What choice did he have? He couldn’t talk to his friends, he absolutely couldn’t talk to Kevin; he had no one else. He’d taken to leaving class early, a cowardly attempt to avoid his problems. He sighed, pushed off from the wall, and walked briskly to his locker, desperate to escape the building before the final bell rang. He stuffed books into his bag, muttering to himself. As he hastily reached for the next book, he knocked over a tall stack of papers. Edd watched in utter despair, helpless to stop it, as it tumbled to the ground. He stared at it, debating whether to put the papers into their proper places or just shove them back into the locker, but the final bell quickly ended any thought of order. Edd panicked, stuffing the papers back into place, cringing at the sound of crumpling paper.

_Nearly finished,_ he thought. _Nearly…_

“Wow. Double D, making a mess? Never thought I’d see the day.”

Edd reacted far more quickly than he believed he could, spinning to face Kevin so rapidly it made him dizzy. His disorientation put a sting into his words as he snapped, “What do you want, Kevin?”

Kevin winced at the harshness of Edd’s tone. “Sheesh, don’t bite my head off. I just think we need to talk.”

“Well, it’s not going to happen!” Edd punctuated his sentence with a slammed locker door. “You have made your position quite clear, and I have nothing to say to you. Good day!”

Edd spun on his heels, prepared to make a speedy exit. A flash of a hand and a metallic click froze him in his tracks. Following the path of his outstretched arm, he turned back in horror to see Kevin snap the other end of the handcuffs around his own wrist. Grinning wickedly, he lifted his arm, pulling Edd’s along with it, and rattled the cuffs holding them together. People passing by stared and whispered, and Edd hiked his shoulders up around his ears, mortified, trying to hide in the safety of his sweater.

“I thought you would run,” Kevin explained. He held up a hand to stop Edd’s stammered protests. “Before you throw a tantrum in front of the entire school, the key’s at my place. You’re stuck with my whether you like it or not.”

_I_ do _like it_ , Edd thought. A blush crept up his cheeks, and he shook his head clear of the thought. Kevin smirked and began walking down the hall; Edd dragged behind at first, but the judging eyes of the student body took their toll and soon he was walking alongside Kevin. He glanced around, embarrassed, but Kevin looked entirely at ease, popping his gum as he strolled through the building. He even stopped to wave to some friends—using the cuffed hand, of course—and by the time they finally exited the building, Edd was ready to scream. Kevin casually shoved his hands into his pockets, dragging Edd much closer to the red-head than he had ever planned to be again, and that was the final straw. Edd yanked his hand back, nearly ripping Kevin’s pocket in the process.

“Ow! The hell is your problem?” Kevin rubbed his wrist, raising an eyebrow.

“I will endure your presence as it appears I have no other choice, but I will not tolerate such close proximity. Kindly keep your distance.” Edd adjusted the bag on his shoulder, looking down at the pavement.

“Alright. Fine. Sheesh.” Kevin dutifully moved to the opposite side of the sidewalk.

They walked in silence, awkward tension growing between them. When Kevin’s house came into view, Edd sighed audibly. Kevin snorted.

“That desperate to be rid of me, huh?”

Edd chose not to respond. Once inside the house, he accompanied Kevin up to his bedroom. The room was cleaner than he’d expected, though he suspected it had been cleaned in anticipation of his arrival. He gazed around the room, noticing the sports posters, CD collection, closet full of sports equipment, and messy desk. His fingers itched at the sight of it, wishing he’d organized the papers in his locker before leaving. _This is going to cause me distress for the duration of the weekend, I’m sure_. A soft tug on his wrist pulled him out of his thoughts and back into the room. Kevin sat on the bed, patting the space beside him invitingly. Edd stood his ground.

“I believe it to be only appropriate that you release me from this embarrassing restraint, considering that I am already inside your house.” Kevin raised a disbelieving eyebrow and Edd sighed. “I give you my word that I will stay and discuss matters with you.”

Kevin shrugged and reached for his bedside table. The little drawer on the front opened easily to reveal various bits of paper, an old baseball, and other assorted knick knacks. The key to the handcuffs sat right on top, waiting to be used. Kevin picked it up delicately and took Edd’s hand, drawing him closer. Edd gasped in surprise but let the jock twist his hand to get a better view of the keyhole. He fiddled with it for a moment before huffing in frustration.

“Damn key won’t go in,” he muttered.

He pulled Edd even closer, leaning in to the lock. He struggled to adjust the tiny key in his fingers. Edd opened his mouth to offer his assistance, but before he could speak, the key slipped, flipped upwards by Kevin’s thumb. The pair watched in stunned silence as the key sailed across the room. Holding their breath, they watched the key teeter on the edge of the air vent set in the floor. Edd saw the shift in weight, realized the key was incorrectly balanced, and made a desperate motion to catch it as it slowly tipped and fell with a soft clink into the vent.

Jock and dork released held breath in unison.

“Shit.”


	6. Chapter 6

Ten minutes later, Kevin sat on the edge of the bed. His free hand supported his chin while his cuffed hand swung back and forth wildly as Edd paced in front of him. He was mildly impressed that the little dork had managed to hold the weight of his muscled arm for so long. Edd’s anger fueled rant had been terrifying at first, kind of adorable once he’d grown used to it, but after several minutes Kevin had grown tired of it. He sat in boredom, rubbing his face with his available hand. When he noticed a break in the tirade, he glanced up.

“You done?” he asked.

Edd turned on him, eyes livid, breathing deeply through his nose. He began to speak several times before defeat scrawled itself on his face and he sat heavily beside Kevin.

“Maybe.”

“Well! Let’s work on getting that key back, yeah?”

Without waiting for a response, Kevin left the bed and knelt by the metal vent. Edd dragged behind like a tired child, and it took every ounce of patience that Kevin possessed to not shout at him. Instead, he focused his efforts on removing the screws holding the corners of the vent to the floor. He tried working at them with his fingernail with no luck. The penny from his pocket yielded similar results. He hummed in frustration; his only screwdriver wasn’t a flathead. He scratched the back of his neck.

“I don’t know, Double D. I can’t get the screws off. You don’t happen to have a flathead screwdriver, do you?” His laughter was cut short when the thin boy handed over a screwdriver he had pulled from his pocket. “Do you seriously just carry this around, dude?”

Edd blushed. “You never know when you might need one,” he muttered.

Kevin chuckled and set to work on the screws. In a few short seconds he had the metal sheet pulled out and moved to the side. He peered into the hole, searching for the little key. After a six inch drop, the vent sloped off along the wall of his room. Kevin began to fear that the key had slid beyond reach. He pulled out his phone and used it as a flashlight, searching for a flash of metal in the dark. He finally spotted the key snagged on a loose wire sticking out from the side of the wall. It was too far down to reach with his hand, so he turned to Edd for help. The boy sighed and asked for a wire hanger.

Edd straightened out the hanger so he could reach down and grab the key with the hook. After reminding Kevin several times that this was a delicate operation and to please not move, Edd slid the hanger into the vent. His attempts to grab the key from the side proved unsuccessful, so he lay down on his stomach to reach the key from below. He watched carefully as his hand slowly brought the hook up under the key. He rocked it gently back and forth to pull it off the wire. He almost missed the key when it finally broke free, and he sighed in relief when it swung onto the hook at the last second.

“That was a very close call. I nearly dropped it,” Edd laughed nervously. “Back up a little bit so I can pull it out.” He waved a hand in Kevin’s direction.

Kevin shuffled back on his knees. Edd sat up, gently drawing the hanger out of the vent. Smiling at his accomplishment, he reached down to take the key. Kevin suddenly made an odd squeaking noise, and Edd glanced back just in time to see the beginnings of a sneeze.

“Kevin! Don’t—”

Drawing his elbow up out of reflex, Kevin sneezed loudly into his hard. The sudden motion jerked Edd to the side, slamming his face into the desk. He staggered to his feet, free hand pressed against his nose. When he pulled his hand away, it was smeared with blood. He grimaced.

“Oh, my god. I’m so sorry, Edd!”

Edd looked up sharply at the use of his real name. Kevin’s face had remorse written all over it. He snatched the box of tissues from his desk and gingerly held them out to the pale boy. Edd sighed and took one, pressing it under his nose in place of his hand. _He_ does _seem genuinely concerned._ He sighed again, furrowing his brow. _He is quite attractive when he is concerned…_ The flow of blood from his nose increased at the thought. Kevin raised an eyebrow at the other boy’s intense blush.

“Kevin, I require assistance. Please accompany me to the bathroom.” Edd tugged on the handcuffs, leading the way out of the room.

By the time they reached the bathroom, the blood had mostly stopped. Edd carefully inspected his injury, tentatively pressing and shifting the cartilage around. It hurt, but the pain was bearable. Satisfied, he turned to Kevin and gave him a crooked smile. Kevin smiled back, relieved that he’d been forgiven. He wasn’t sure he could take another ten minute rave.

“Well, shit, Double Dork. I don’t know how to get these off. I don’t have a spare key or anything…”

Edd frowned. “I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Sure I will! Anything has to be better than this, right?”


	7. Chapter 7

“Oh, hey, Sock-Head. What are you doing h—what the hell happened to your face?!” Eddy braced himself on the doorframe as he leaned forward, eyes squinting at the bruises blooming across his friend’s face.

“G-greetings, Eddy! I was hoping you might be able to assist me with an…issue.”

Eddy frowned slightly. “Sure, Double D. Anything for y—what the fuck.”

Kevin took a step back, holding his hands up defensively. Eddy glared back and forth from Kevin to Edd, made a connection in his head, and lifted his fist to slug Kevin in the jaw.

“Eddy, wait! It was an accident!” Edd jumped in between them, shaking his hands desperately. “I’m fine!”

“What the fuck are you doing hanging out with this jerk anyw—are those handcuffs?” Edd blushed and Kevin rubbed the back of his neck as Eddy broke down in laughter. “Those are handcuffs! Oh, man, this is too good.” He flipped out his phone to take a picture.

“Eddy, please!” Edd whined.

“Okay, okay…” He put his phone away. “Let me guess; you can’t get out of them, and you want me to help.”

“Yes, please.”

Eddy smirked. “Come on in.”

Kevin leaned down to whisper in Edd’s ear as he removed his shoes. “You were right. I _hate_ this idea. Are you sure you don’t have any other ideas? I would _love_ to hear some other ideas.” Edd looked up at him, annoyed, but Kevin went on. “Hey, you know what? I think I have a hacksaw in the shed. We could just cut my hand off. I’m willing to lose a hand for you, Double D. This is serious.”

“He is my friend, Kevin. He doesn’t like you just as much as you don’t like him, yet he is willing to help us out of our predicament. I would appreciate it if you could show a little more gratitude,” Edd snapped.

“God, fine. Don’t have a cow. You’ve been awfully feisty this afternoon, Double D.”

Edd blushed and looked back sharply. “So what if I have been?”

“So nothing.” Kevin grinned wickedly. “I like it. It’s like a whole new, more badass you.”

“There is absolutely nothing badass about Double D,” Eddy butted in. He stopped them at his bedroom door. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

A variety of strange and disturbing sounds came from Eddy’s bedroom, slicing through the awkwardness between the two boys standing in the hall. A shuffling followed by what sounded like a giggle turned into a coughing fit. Several crashing sounds followed in quick succession. Eddy yelled something unintelligible. Suddenly, the door snapped open and then closed just as quickly. Eddy stood holding a small box. He motioned them into the kitchen. Kevin glanced at Edd suspiciously and Edd shrugged, an apologetic smile lighting his lips. Eddy was quick to notice that under the bright lights in the kitchen Edd’s nose looked much worse. He took the opportunity to exact revenge on the jock by casually sliding the chair out from under him as he sat down. Kevin landed hard on the linoleum.

“Oh, Kevin!” Eddy held the back of his hand to his mouth. “I’m _so_ sorry! Usually we don’t have problems with the kitchen furniture. Bad chair!” He shook his finger at the offending chair. Edd covered a giggle with his arm.

“Whatever, asshole. Just get us out of these stupid handcuffs so we can get the hell out of your house.” Kevin sat next to Edd and glared out of the window.

Eddy grinned. “Gentlemen: I present to you…the Collection!”

He upended the box and they watched in shocked awe as hundreds of tiny keys came spilling out onto the table. The last few keys came tumbling out of the box and slid off the table, clattering lightly on the floor.

“Remarkable…” Edd breathed, picking up a key to inspect its shape.

“Fucking weird,” Kevin corrected.

Eddy clapped his hands together and rubbed. “Alright, ladies. Let’s find a key!”

* * *

Nearly an hour later, and the pair was still firmly locked together. Kevin had his head on the table, softly hitting the table over and over with his fist. Edd sat patiently while Eddy worked at the lock with the last key from the pile. The small boy felt a headache coming on and desperately wished the ordeal over so he could go home and drink a cup of tea and feed his ants. With an irritated grunt, Eddy tossed the final key back into the box.

“Well, looks like that’s it. I’m out of keys.” He folded the lid of the box up and stood to walk it back to his room. Edd sighed down at the tablecloth, picking at a loose thread. Kevin looked up at the morose sound and forced a smile.

“Hey, it’s not that bad. We’ll think of something,” he whispered. He brushed his fist against Edd’s jaw. The boy flinched away from his touch, and he frowned. “Why are you so upset, Dork? I said it would be okay.”

Edd sighed and glanced up, briefly holding Kevin’s gaze before returning his eyes to the table. “I know. You’re right. It will all be fine.”

“Hey…hey! What’s this?” Kevin reached forward and plucked a key from the front of Edd’s sweater. Kevin tried it on the handcuffs and after a bit of wiggling, they popped right off. “Well, would you look at that! It must have snagged on your sweater when I accidentally broke your face.” Kevin made light work of the cuff around his own wrist before sliding the handcuffs and the key into his back pocket.

“I’m coming back in!” Eddy shouted. “You better not be making out!”

Edd blushed furiously. He placed a hand over the spot on his sweater where Kevin found the key: right over his heart. _Oh, don’t read anything into it. Symbolism does not exist in the real world as it does in books_. He shook his head and stood.

“Thank you for your assistance, Eddy. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at school. Come, Kevin.”

Edd slipped his shoes on without lacing them and hurried outside. He took a deep breath of fresh air, allowing himself to relax. The thought of his cup of tea was enough to put a smile on his face. He stepped off the curb toward his house. Kevin’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

“Hey, Double Dork. Forgetting something? We still need to have a little talk.”


	8. Chapter 8

Edd sat unhappily in his living room, staring at a glass figuring of a swan on the coffee table that stood between Edd and the source of his discomfort: Kevin. Even after the handcuff ordeal, the jock had the gall to follow him home, demand a conversation, and sit there as calm and collected as ever while Edd shook to bits on the inside. Afraid that his unease would show, Edd refused to make eye contact, choosing instead to memorize every detail of that stupid glass swan. Kevin cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

“So, Double D. First, I’m sorry that I hurt your feelings. Or whatever. I didn’t mean it. I think you’re a pretty cool kid.”

“Thank you. You’re pretty enjoyable to be around as well.” Edd’s voiced cracked at the end, and he coughed self-consciously.

“I know blowing you off at school was pretty shitty, so let me explain. It’s not that I don’t like you or anything, but the girls—”

“I understand, Kevin. You’re quite the ladies’ man. You don’t need to explain.”

It was Kevin’s turn to feel self-conscious. “Well, I don’t know about _ladies’ man_ , but…”

Edd turned his gaze down again. “I understand that you don’t want to hang out with me—”

“I never said that!”

“—and I also understand why. Those girls—”

“Right!” Kevin interrupted. “The girls…well, they’re really popular and they know a lot of guys on the baseball team, and I really want to make a good impression so I can make the team. You feel me?”

Edd’s heart stopped. “Wait. You mean, you don’t want to be seen with me at school because I’m not popular enough? That’s it?”

“Yeah.” Kevin frowned. “What else would it be?”

Edd’s mind reeled from shock, relief, and despair. He gripped the edge of the couch, realizing how close he’d come to confessing his attraction, and suffocating under the knowledge that Kevin hadn’t given the instance a second thought. A touch on his shoulder made him gasp, and he realized he had been holding his breath.

"Hey, are you ok?” Kevin shook his shoulder lightly. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing!” Edd gasped. “I just…I need a glass of water!”

He stumbled up and into the kitchen. Kevin followed, eyebrows pulled together in confusion and concern. He took a seat at the bar, watching Edd fill a glass with filtered water from a pitcher. He noticed the pale boy’s hand shaking slightly. Ever the thoughtful host, Edd set the first glass of water in front of Kevin and reached for a second one. He drank the whole glass without turning around, praying the cool water would thwart the embarrassed blush that was creeping up his cheeks. He refilled the glass and carefully replaced the pitcher in the fridge before finally turning to face Kevin.

“I take it that you would appreciate if I steered clear of you and your new friends,” he deadpanned.

Kevin looked uncomfortable. “Well, I mean…yeah. God, that sounds awful. Listen, I really do like you. I still want to be friends. Just…not at school? This sounds so awful. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s quite alright. I understand perfectly. High school is a tricky maze to navigate. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Now, if you will excuse me, I have had quite the trying afternoon and would appreciate some peace and quiet to enjoy my tea in.” Edd walked Kevin to the door.

Kevin slipped his shoes on and opened the door. At the last second, he turned back. “Hey. We’re cool, right?” His voice wavered with uncertainty.

Edd smiled widely. “Yes, Kevin. We’re ‘cool’.”

The redhead looked relieved. “Cool. See you around, Double Dork.”

Edd shut the door and walked back to the kitchen to put the kettle on. He sat and stared at the clock until his tea was ready. He carefully carried a full mug up the stairs to his room and sat on his bed, blowing on the hot liquid absentmindedly. It wasn’t often that his mind was free of thought, and for once he welcomed the sensation. The tea soothed his body and the empty silence in his head soothed his racing mind. He knew it couldn’t last, so he took advantage of it while it lasted. He fed his ants, reorganized his notes for class, and gave his cactus a little bit of water. After straightening his room, he settled down on the bed with a notepad, pencil, and an old chemistry textbook.

He read until the thoughts came crowding back in again, and when they did he was prepared. He picked up his pad and pencil and began jotting down every thought that passed through his mind. When the page was full, he flipped it over and filled the back side. He wrote about the kiss, how it made him feel, how he’d wanted it to last forever, and how he desperately wished it hadn’t happened in the first place. He wrote about his sexuality, wondering if he was gay, if he’d always been gay, if anybody knew he was gay. He wrote about Kevin, every tantalizing and torturous detail playing like some cruel video loop in his mind, all the dips and curves of his perfect body, his soft red hair, the way his eyes lit up in concern, the lovely hollow at the base of his throat. Seven pages of notes very quickly became three pages of detailed outline, complete with footnotes. After categorizing each and every thought, thoroughly checking his work twice, Edd ripped the pages from the notebook and folded them into an envelope. He sealed the envelope with a dab of water from the watering can on the table—envelop glue carried a high concentration of bacteria—and shoved it under his mattress. With it, he sealed up his emotions, hiding them far in the back of his mind, and made a resolute decision to avoid Kevin from that moment on.

* * *

 Three weeks later, Edd sneaked a glance at the flyer announcing the newest additions to the baseball team. Kevin’s name was at the top of the list.


	9. Chapter 9

“Eddy! I really must insist! I want no part in this!”

Edd’s protests fell on deaf ears. Eddy stood on his right and Ed on his left, each holding one of his arms, dragging him towards the baseball field. Students milled around chatting, buying snacks from the concession stand, snapping pictures with their phones; an excited buzz filled the air. The regional playoff game was today and it looked like the whole school had come out to support the baseball team. If the Peach Creek High Junior team won today, they would qualify for the state championship, a feat that hadn’t been achieved in nearly ten years. The Eds pushed their way through the crowd, selecting a spot in the far corner of the bleachers to watch the game from. Eddy made sure to place Edd in the middle so he wouldn’t chicken out.

“Oh, man, this is going to be _good_.” Eddy rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“I didn’t know you liked baseball, Eddy!” Ed slapped his friend on the back, grinning from ear to ear.

“I don’t, you idiot! I’m talking about our genius plan. I can’t believe you had the idea in the first place, Ed. You’re normally no help at all, but laxatives in the water cooler? _Genius,_ Ed, pure _genius_.”

“Thanks, Eddy! My mom has to give them to me when I can’t—”

“That’s enough, Ed, thank you. Eddy,” Edd whined, “I don’t understand why I need to be here. I did not participate in tampering with the water cooler, and I have quite a bit of studying to do. Besides, this game is very important to the school. I’m not so certain this was a good idea.”

“Oh, can it, Double D. Kevin deserves it.”

“And what, pray tell, did Kevin do this time?”

“If you _must_ know,” Eddy replied, sarcastically mimicking Edd’s manner of speaking, “he asked Nazz to the spring dance just to spite me.”

Edd sighed heavily. “Eddy, Kevin has the right to ask anyone he wants to the dance. Besides, Nazz chose to go with him. Doesn’t that mean that she is as deserving of your anger as Kevin?”

Eddy faced worked furiously through several emotions before settling on disinterest. “That’s—it’s different. Just shut up, Edd. We already put the laxatives in, and the game is about to start. There’s no stopping it now.”

Edd shifted uncomfortably. He gazed down the field toward the dugout where Kevin sat laughing and joking with his fellow teammates. It had been months since his last interaction with the jock—excluding a terse “Merry Christmas” uttered in passing at Nazz’s holiday party—but Edd couldn’t help but feel guilty. Kevin did not deserve this, no matter what Eddy thought. He knew he couldn’t do anything about the water cooler short of confessing to the crime and taking the beating that would be sure to follow, but… Suddenly, Kevin stood and separated from the team, sprinting back toward the locker room. Seeing his opportunity, Edd stood abruptly and asked if anyone wanted snacks.

At the concession stand, Edd purchased two bottles of water and one of a generic sports drink. He shoved them into his bag and ran for the school, arriving outside of the locker room just as Kevin reemerged with an armful of metal bats. Surprise registered behind his eyes, but he played it cool, as always.

“Oh, hey, Double D. Long time no see. What’s up?”

“Kevin. I need you to trust me. I brought you some water and a sports drink, and I highly suggest that you stick to drinking them for the duration of the game.”

“Uh, what are you t—”

“I cannot give you any further explanation, and for that I apologize, but please. Trust me.”

Edd threw the strap of his bag over Kevin’s shoulder, adjusting it with quick motions, careful not to knock the bats out of Kevin’s hands. Edd gripped the strap in one hand and pulled Kevin closer.

“I need this bag back,” he said.

Edd released the strap, noting with interest the pink tint in Kevin’s cheeks. He shoved the thoughts away, refusing to consider what implications Kevin’s blush may hold. He took off for the concession stand at a light jog, anxious to get the snacks and return to his friends before they came looking for him. Kevin watched him leave, cheeks burning from the surprisingly (and likely unintentionally) sexy gesture. _Damn, Double D. Didn’t know you had it in you._ Kevin heard the coach shouting for him and he ran back to the dugout. Matt walked around handing out water bottles. Kevin reached for one but decided it couldn’t hurt to take Edd’s advice. He pondered the boy’s strange actions for a moment before shrugging it off.

The game was starting.


	10. Chapter 10

Edd sat stiffly in the sun, taking what shade he could get from Ed’s large shadow. He balanced a small notebook on his knee, jotting down notes. He was finding the game exceptionally interesting and enjoyable to watch. The way the human body moved astounded him. He took great pleasure in analyzing the subtle changes in Kevin’s body position as he pitched the second inning. Edd could tell exactly what type of pitch was coming just from the placement of his shoulders and forward leg. _He is a fine specimen_ , Edd though. From a non-scientific standpoint, the view wasn’t so bad either. He felt heat pool in the pit of his stomach as Kevin leaned down to retrieve the ball. Jaw set in determination, Kevin easily struck out the next two batters, bringing the inning to a close in Peach Creek’s favor. Moving in for the third inning, Kevin looked up and caught Edd’s eye. He smiled and gave a small wave; Edd timidly returned it.

“Double D! Are you okay?” Ed’s voice, full of concern, halted Edd’s train of thought.

“P-Pardon?” he asked.

“Your face is all red! My mom said when I get too hot I should lie down and drink some water.”

“I’m quite alright, Ed. Perhaps some water wouldn’t be such a bad idea, however. Would you like to accompany me to the concession stand?”

“Sure, Double D! Maybe they have gravy!”

“I seriously doubt it, but we can certainly ask.”

Much to Edd’s surprise, they did in fact have gravy. The girl behind the counter looked a bit ill when Ed asked for a side of gravy and a spoon, but she obliged him. While Ed paid for his treat, Edd watched curiously as two baseball players ran awkwardly toward the school. _The first two victims, no doubt_. He felt a twinge of guilt, but Eddy was right; there was nothing he could do to stop it. Ed handed him a bottle of water, encouraging him to drink up as they walked back to their seats. Edd was very surprised to see Nazz sitting and chatting with Eddy.

“Greetings, Nazz! What brings you here?” He took his seat next to her and shielded his eyes from the sun so he could see her properly.

“Are you kidding, Double D? I love baseball! I couldn’t possibly miss a game this important!”

“Quite true, but I suppose I was actually asking to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”

“Oh! Oh, I was just coming over to say hello to some old friends! It’s not often that we do things outside of school, right, Eddy?” Nazz elbowed Eddy in the ribs, and he shied away, grumbling.

“Well, we appreciate your company!” Edd beamed.

“Look, Nazz!” Ed shouted. “Gravy!”

“I see that, Ed! Good for you!” She leaned around Edd to pat the big boy on the arm.

Eddy turned up his nose. “That’s sick, dude.”

Nazz suddenly stood with the rest of the crowd to cheer a homerun. “God, isn’t this exciting?”

Eddy focused in on the field and snickered. “It’s about to be.”

Edd followed his friend’s gaze to the player on second base. He stood shifting his weight from foot to foot. His face screwed up in discomfort. He raised a hand to get the coach’s attention, but the shock on his face indicated that he was too late. Right there on the field, in front of his teammates, his coach, and the entire student body, Number Fifteen lost control of his bodily functions. Edd winced; it was worse than he’d imagined. The entire stadium fell silent as he ran off the field. One of the players from the challenging team let out a chuckle, but he was quickly silenced with an elbow to the stomach. The umpire was the first to break the silence, requesting a replacement player to be sent onto the field. The coach sent Kevin out. The redhead took his place and the game continued, but only for another few minutes before three other players began to shift nervously.

“Oh, god, I’m sorry!” Number Thirty-Three yelled to the coach as they ran off the field.

The umpire demanded to know what was going on and began arguing with the coach. The entire varsity team made a break for the locker room. The students in the bleachers gasped and broke into an agitated buzz, speculating as to what had happened. Eddy rocked back and forth with laughter, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Oh, my god! It’s perfect! It’s so perfect!” he wheezed.

Nazz stared at him for a second, face twisted with rage. “You’re such an ass, Eddy!” She stormed off, disappearing into the churning crowd.

Ed began to look nervous. “Uh, guys? Maybe we should leave now.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.” Eddy stood and maneuvered his way through the crowd. Those few students who knew of Eddy’s rivalry with Kevin shot the trio dirty looks, looks that Edd ignored; he was very familiar with such hostility. At the bottom of the bleachers, Edd looked out across the field. Kevin stood alone by the dugout, staring at the Eds in horror. He glanced down at the water bottle in his hand and figured it all out. _Those fuckers_. He ran to the water cooler and dumped it off the table, spilling the liquid onto the dirt. He turned back to the dugout and barked at the junior varsity team.

“If any of you drank the water from that cooler, I suggest you find a bathroom to hunch over in.” He waited while a couple of players ran out. “The rest of you: congratulations! You’ve all been promoted to the position of honorary varsity player. Get ready; we’re going to win this game no matter what.”

He ran up to the coach and explained the situation. After some intense rulebook searching, the umpire grudgingly agreed to let the young players take over the game. Kevin tugged on the bill of his baseball cap, taking his turn to bat. He swung the bat with an intensely controlled power, sending the ball over the fence and into the parking lot. He and two other boys made their way around the bases, pulling the team even further ahead. He did his best to coach the inexperienced boys through batting, but before long they had taken their three outs. Kevin stepped onto the mound to pitch, determined to not let a single run through. Three pitches later and the inning was over. _Four more,_ he thought. _We can do that. We got this._

When the game ended, Peach Creek was ahead by a single point. Heaving a sigh of relief, Kevin pumped his fist into the air, allowing himself to be lifted by his teammates. The crowd came screaming onto the field, cheering wildly. The two coaches shook hands and Kevin led the team down the line, shaking hands with the dejected losing team. For half an hour they celebrated, running around the field, laughing with their friends, and exchanging high fives. As the stadium began to empty, Kevin went to the dugout for his stuff, excited to get to the showers and wash the dirt and sweat off. He reached for his duffle bag and started when he found Edd’s bag underneath it. He picked up the small messenger bag and looked hard at it, the gears in his brain turning furiously.

_Why did he bring me water?_ he mused. He knew the Eds were behind the prank; only Eddy hated him that much. _Wait. Eddy. Only Eddy. Of course._ Edd wouldn’t do something like this; he had barely participated in Eddy’s stupid scams when they were kids. Wouldn’t it be just like Eddy to drag Edd into this stupid rivalry?

Kevin gently folded the messenger bag and tucked it in among his belongings. His head hurt from the sun, so he stopped thinking about Edd, placing the thoughts to the back of his mind for later. When he stepped into the locker room, the stench slapped him in the face.

“Holy shit!” he laughed. “What the hell have you guys been eating?”

“Shut up!” Matt yelled. “Why aren’t you in here with us, huh?”

Kevin shrugged. “Nazz brought me some water bottles. Good thing, too, or we would be sitting on a forfeit and Coach would _never_ forgive us.”

“Damn those Eds,” Jake growled, drying his hair, wet from the shower. “Tomorrow we’ll teach them a lesson, teach them who they’re messing with. Right, Kevin?”

“Hell, yeah!” Kevin replied.

He knew Eddy would get a beating. Ed would probably give as many hits as he took; that fight never lasted very long. Edd…Edd always took the worst of it. Poor kid couldn’t throw a punch to save his life. Kevin never participated in those beatings, but he’d seen the aftermath. How the kid kept up such a happy demeanor was a mystery to Kevin. He glanced down at the bag, nestled in with his jersey, and felt oddly protective. He would have to find a way to keep Edd out of it.

Kevin snapped his locker shut, satisfied, and went to shower, cracking poop jokes as he went.


	11. Chapter 11

Edd stumbled out of the bathroom for the fourth time, clutching his aching sides. Rumors traveled quickly in a school as small as Peach Creek High and of the Eds, Edd was the easiest target to drag into the bathrooms between classes. A quick jab to the stomach or kick to the ribs and it was over, but four instances before the day was half over had the small boy quaking in fear. He had anticipated such a response but not from so many students. He’d hoped that winning the game would water down the anger, but he had no such luck. The lunch bell rang as Edd made his way to his locker. He avoided the accusing stares of his fellow students by staring at the floor, moving as quickly as he could to grab his lunch and his books for the second half of the day. Slipping into the cafeteria, Edd felt the tiniest bit safer. Surely he would be left alone here in this room full of noise and bustle; no one would notice him if he kept his head down.

Slipping into a seat at their usual table, Edd looked up and was entirely unsurprised to see that Eddy sported a black eye. Ed seemed unharmed, but he certainly did not look happy. The three friends picked at their food, choosing not to speak in an attempt to avoid drawing attention. Eddy pressed gingerly at his eye and scowled.

“Fucking assholes,” he muttered.

Edd rolled his eyes. “Eddy, you knew this was coming, and I would almost go so far as to say you deserved it.”

“Shut up.”

Edd turned his attention to Ed. “Why, Ed! You haven’t even touched your mashed potatoes. Aren’t you hungry?”

Ed shook his head sadly. “Today is not a gravy day, Double D.”

Edd nodded understandingly and returned to his turkey sandwich. He got a few bites in before he completely lost his appetite. He swallowed hard and looked around. No one would make eye contact with him and he laughed hollowly. The motion made his ribs hurt. _This is the last time I let Eddy involve me in one of his stupid plots_. _Whatever happened to keeping my head down?_ A hand came down hard on the back of Edd’s head, slamming his face into the table. Stars popped in his vision as he reeled back, grasping at his nose.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Eds.” Matt smirked. “How’s it going, boys?”

“Just fine until you fucktards showed up. Leave us the hell alone,” Eddy replied testily.

“Now, now,” Matt chastised. “That’s no way to talk. You’re being rude.” He cracked his knuckles and grinned. “We don’t like rude people, do we, boys?”

As if from out of nowhere, the entire baseball team descended on the table, pulling the boys from their seats. Edd landed on the floor, bruising his tailbone, and was dragged backwards by a hand on the back of his shirt. He drew his hands over his head to protect himself from the blows that he knew were coming, but nothing happened. He could hear shouting and cheering, and an angry yell from Ed, but those sounds were getting further away. He opened his eyes and watched as he was dragged away from the growing circle of students keen to join in the fight. At the edge of the cafeteria, he was suddenly thrown into the wall, his hat keeping his head from cracking against the cinderblock.

“K-Kevin? What are you—”

“Shut it, dork.” Kevin pressed a folded piece of paper into Edd’s hand. “I strongly suggest that you leave. _Now._ ”

Kevin turned without a word and disappeared into the crowd. Edd sat stunned for a moment, then scrambled to his feet and ran out of the cafeteria. He kept running until he was wheezing, stopping by an empty chemistry lab. He bent over to catch his breath, wincing at the pain in his ribs. He looked at the note resting in his palm, suddenly afraid to read it. Unfolding the paper with shaky hands, he took in its message, reading it a few times to make sure he did not misunderstand:

_Time for another talk. Meet me by your locker in fifteen minutes._

_-K_


	12. Chapter 12

Edd waited nervously by his locker, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He held his books close to his chest, shoulders tense and drawn up to his ears. Kevin hadn’t picked on him in a while, but Edd knew that messing with the baseball game had very likely been far out of bounds. Perhaps Kevin wanted the opportunity to deal with him by himself. The theory didn’t make perfect sense, but it was the only one Edd could come up with, so he clung to the hope that at least it would be over quickly. Each shadow, each movement in his peripherals sent spasms of fear down his spine. He began to consider skipping the rest of the school day, or at the very least hiding out in the chemistry lab. When a shadow finally fell on his sneakers, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he began, forcing himself to look up.

He was shocked when he realized he was not facing Kevin; three boys from the baseball team stood smirking down at the quaking boy. Before he could say another word, Edd was lifted by the front of his shirt and slammed into the locker. A fist smashed into his face, the inside of his cheek splitting open against his teeth on impact. He could taste the blood, fighting the urge to spit it out. The boy released Edd’s shirt, letting him crumple to the ground. A foot pressed into his stomach, threatening to force his lunch back up.

“Hey, guys, knock it off.” Kevin slipped between Edd and the baseball players.

“Aww, Kevin! You’re ruining all the fun!”

“Hey,” he replied with a casual shrug. “I told you yesterday that this one was mine.”

“I know, I know…”

“Don’t worry,” Kevin smiled. He pulled Edd up by his shirt and slammed him into the locker again. “I’ll take good care of him.”

The three guys laughed and walked off, waving goodbye. Kevin waited until they were out of sight to release Edd, gently setting him back on his feet. Edd immediately ran for the nearest trash can, spitting blood by the mouthful into the black plastic bag. He ran his tongue gently across the gash and winced; he could already feel it swelling. Kevin walked up and set a hand on Edd’s back. Edd flinched away, looking up at him in fear.

“God, Edd. Relax. I’m sorry about that; I had to make it look, you know…like I’m one of them.” Kevin rubbed at his neck. “Are you ok?”

“I’ve been better,” Edd muttered. He spat once more before standing up, turning to face the redhead. “What do you want?”

Kevin suddenly looked awkward and uncomfortable. “Ah. Well. To say sorry, for one. I know you didn’t really have anything to do with the game. If you would just quit hanging out with that idiot, you wouldn’t have any problems—”

“I assume you are referring to Eddy, and I’m afraid I must disagree with you. Most of my…unfortunate encounters seem to occur simply because of my penchant for academic pursuits. This is the first time that Eddy has seen fit to involve me in quite some time, and while it was unfortunate that the nature of the prank was a bit extreme, the repercussions I have experience thus far pale in comparison to some of the injuries I have been dealt for simply existing…something that I believe I have you to thank for,” Edd admitted. “After all, you have saved me twice today. May I inquire as to the reasons behind your sudden interest?”

Kevin blushed. “I don’t know, dork. I just don’t think it was your fault. You brought me water, after all, and that saved the game. I’m just returning the favor.”

“I see. Well, if that is quite all, then I must be going. I have homework that needs to be done.” Edd turned on his heel and crossed back to his locker, bending down to pick up his books. Calloused hands reached out to help, deftly stacking several books before depositing them in Edd’s arms.

“That’s not all, actually. I brought your bag back. I hope it doesn’t smell too bad from being stuffed in my gym bag.” Kevin held out the bag, holding his grip for a moment when Edd reached out to take it. “I guess you’ll probably end up washing it anyway, so it doesn’t even matter.”

“Thank you, Kevin. I didn’t think you would remember.” Edd deposited the bag in his locker. Kevin was correct: he would not be using it again until it had been put through the wash.

“Well, you know. It’s your bag. Just…make sure you get all your stuff out of it before putting it in the washer,” Kevin said. He turned and walked away without another word.

Edd pondered the strange parting words. _Of course I will clean it out before I wash it. What does he take me for?_ He shook his head, ducking into his literature classroom. He decided that he was going to dedicate every ounce of his attention to his schoolwork for the rest of the afternoon, pushing everything else aside. He sighed when he was called to the principal’s office, sat in stunned silence while Eddy claimed all of the blame for the prank, and politely declined an invitation to a study group after school. He walked home with his friends. Eddy sported bruises all over his face and cuts on his knuckles and lip. Ed carried a small bruise under his left eye but appeared relatively unscathed. Edd did not know the extent of his own injuries until he got home and walked up to the bathroom. The bright lights did nothing to flatter him, throwing deep shadows across his face. His cheek and nose were swollen, as expected. There was slight bruising around his eye, but the real bruises trailed up his ribs, blooming out across his chest and upper stomach. Edd sighed unhappily, tugging his shirt back down.

_It could have been worse,_ he reminded himself.

Down in the basement, he loaded the washing machine with a load of clothes from the basket, tossing in his hat after some deliberation. He pulled out his messenger bag and removed his planner and pencil bag. That was all that had been left in there, but… His curiosity got the better of him, and he slid his hand into the bag, searching around for any trace of a foreign object. He had just about given up when the tip of his index finger bumped into a sharp corner. He closed his fingers around the folded piece of paper—Kevin’s preferred means of communication, it would seem—and pulled it out. He unfolded it gently.

_Edd-_

_Call or text me if you ever need my help. I know dorks like you can’t take care of yourselves._

_675-9980_

_-Kevin_

Edd pressed the note to his chest. _How sweet,_ he thought. After he started the washing machine, he ran upstairs to save the number to his cell phone. He assigned the contact to a picture that he’d taken once of Kevin on his bike. He had taken it on a whim, hiding behind the curtains in his living room, but he couldn’t bring himself to delete it. It was… _cute,_ he thought. He pulled up a new message and hesitated. What should he say?

[Greetings, Kevin. This is Edd.]

[i know]

[dork]


	13. Chapter 13

[what the hell dork]

Edd sighed at the message on his phone. He knew exactly what Kevin was upset about, but he didn’t feel like humoring him. He set the phone aside and refocused on the books spread across his desk. Only a week into their sophomore year and the head of the science department had already approached him about joining the Science Olympiad team. Their first competition, a friendly against the high school in Melville, was only a month away, and Edd was in the process of brushing up on his knowledge of engineering and robotics. Even if it was not his preferred field of science, he found it utterly fascinating, and he planned on spending the next several hours immersed in the study. He ignored Kevin’s first three texts, but by the fourth he had grown annoyed. He snatched his phone up and typed out a response.

[Greetings, Kevin. What seems to be the problem?]

[don’t give me that u know what the problem is]

[why aren’t u here]

[Why am I not where, exactly?]

[nazz’s party]

[ed said u were here earlier]

[Well, I did stop by to say hello a couple of hours ago, but I am in the middle of a project and I need to finish it before Monday. I don’t have time to waste at a party.]

[come on dork all u ever do is study]

Edd resisted the urge to point out that his study habits were the reason his GPA was a whole two points higher than Kevin’s. Instead he calmly explained that he would not be joining the party again and wished Kevin a good night. He switched his phone off to avoid further disturbances and turned a page in his book.

* * *

Kevin stared down at his phone, trying to force his eyes to focus. _Why the fuck is my vision so blurry? I haven’t had_ that _much to drink…right? I can’t remember…_ The text on the screen slowly took shape. Edd seemed pretty set on staying home and he hadn’t sent any texts since two hours ago. Kevin frowned slightly. He really wanted to see the kid for reasons that he refused to allow himself to think about. The buzz in his head wasn’t strong enough to drown the thoughts out, so he grabbed another cup of the spiked punch. He sipped at it as he moved through the mass of bodies in Nazz’s living room. Last year’s back-to-school party had just been the cul-de-sac kids; this year everyone had new friends to bring to the party. Hell, the entire baseball team came with Kevin. He waved to a couple of his teammates, but they didn’t seem to notice him. He spotted Nazz and Eddy sloppily making out on the couch, probably on a drunken bet. The room pulsed to the beat of the music, young bodies moving against each other in a sweaty haze. Normally that scene would appeal to Kevin, but tonight he was brooding. He scanned the faces in front of him, but he couldn’t find the pale, gap-toothed one he was looking for. He glared into his cup unhappily before downing its contents.

He moved into the hall, tossing his empty cup at Rolf as he passed. The foreign boy raised a middle finger, grinning. Kevin smiled and shook his head. He leaned up against the wall by the open front door, enjoying the cool air flowing in. He gazed up at the sky and admired the dense pattern of stars twinkling against the black. _Man,_ he thought. It really was beautiful. _He would love this._

“Who would love what?” A shrill voice behind him broke him from his reverie.

He turned around. “Oh. Hey, Brit. What’s up?”

Giggling, she clung to his arm. “You said he would love this. Who’s he?”

Kevin grew red, realizing he’d been speaking aloud. “No one. Having fun?”

“Yeah, but you know what would be even more fun?”

“What?”

She pulled on his hand. “Come on, silly!” she squealed. “I’ll show you!”

She shoved him into the coat closet, pulling the door shut behind them. She pressed him up against the wall, knocking down a couple of boxes in the process. She kissed him, shoving her tongue into his mouth, moving her hands up under his shirt. Kevin scrambled to regain his footing before pushing her off.

“Brit,” he started, but she clumsily pressed a finger to his mouth.

“Shh…” she said and giggled. “We can’t let Mikayla find us. I promised I wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t what?” he asked.

She giggled again. “This!” she shouted, pressing her palm into his crotch.

“Brit!” he shouted. “Cut it out!”

He tumbled out of the closet and stumbled down the hall. Mikayla caught him before he hit a wall, steadying him. Her face went inquisitively from his to Brit’s, sheepishly creeping out of the closet, and her expression screwed up in rage.

“Britney, you _bitch_!” she screamed, lunging at her friend.

The two girls fell to the floor, pulling hair and exchanging slaps. The group from the living room ran into the hallway to cheer on the fight, and Kevin seized his chance to escape. He slipped out into the cool night air, taking a deep breath. He got about halfway to his house before he was hit with a sudden spell of dizziness. He sat down on the pavement, resting his head on his knees. He’d had alcohol before, sure, but he had never been this drunk before. He pulled out his phone and squinted at the time. _Two-thirty, huh? That’s not that bad._ He lay down and pulled off his hat, running a hand through his hair. Finally, out here in the quiet and calm, he allowed himself to think.

He couldn’t get that night out of his head, that stupid dare from last year’s party. Edd was so soft and gentle; kissing him felt like kissing air, and Kevin loved it. He remembered the way the smaller boy had relaxed into his arms, hands grasping at his shirt, fitting perfectly. He thought back several weeks to the day after the baseball game. Closing his eyes, he saw Edd standing at his locker, defenseless and weak, bottom lip quivering. God, how Kevin had wanted to take that lip with his teeth. The thought sent a spasm of warmth through his body, warmth that pooled in his groin. Groaning, Kevin forced himself to stand and shake the thoughts away. _It’s too late for this,_ he grumbled. He checked his phone again and started. He’d been lying in the street for a full hour. It was definitely time to go home.

He slid the door open silently and stepped inside. He kicked his shoes off, yawning. He stumbled up the stairs as quietly as he could so he didn’t wake up his dad. He went to the bathroom, not bothering to turn the lights on, and splashed cold water on his face. He dried off on his sleeve, making his way down the hall to his room. He shrugged off his jacket and shirt, leaving his jeans on out of laziness, and flopped down on the bed.

Two seconds later he was on his feet again, shouting in confusion at the pale, flailing figure that was screaming at him.


	14. Chapter 14

Edd scrabbled frantically at the sheets, heart pounding in panic. Finally he freed his hands and ripped the sheets from his head. A dark figure stood over him, shouting. In a moment of desperation and self-preservation, Edd decided to fling himself at the intruder. Limbs flailing, the pair crashed backward into the desk, knocking several heavy objects off and onto the floor. Edd found himself on top of the stranger, straddling him. He snatched for the closet object—a science fair trophy—and held it up, ready to attack if necessary. The figure beneath him struggled, managed to drag an arm out from under the smaller boy, and shoved him off and across the room. Edd lunged for the light switch, sock-clad feet scrambling for purchase on the carpet. He slammed his hand into the switch and whirled around to face his assailant.

“K-Kevin?!” he stammered. He shook his head, blinking quickly, trying to reassure himself that he was not, in fact, dreaming.

The redhead looked blearily around, shielding his eyes from the light. “Double D?” he slurred. “What’r you doin’ in my room? ‘S this a dream?”

Edd gazed at him, speechless. Kevin furrowed his brow and looked around. _Nnn…periodic table, clean floor, bookshelf…who the hell is Jim?_ He forced himself to focus on the object bearing the name label. _That’s a cactus. Who names a cactus? Heh, I bet Double D would name a cactus. Wait…_ Kevin returned his gaze to Edd and thought hard. His facial expression shifted from confusion to horrified clarity as he figured it out.

“This…this isn’t my room, is it?” he whispered.

Edd shook his head mutely, eyes wide. “Kevin,” he breathed. “Forgive me if it is none of my business, but have you been drinking?”

Kevin rubbed his head. “Uh, maybe a li’l.”

“Well, that would perhaps explain _why_ you are in my house, but would you mind terribly telling me _how_ you got in my house?”

Edd cocked his hip out, one hand resting lightly on his hip and the other hanging in the air like a question mark. His face was still soft from sleep, flushed from the physical activity from moments before, hat slightly askew. His large “Science Rocks!” t-shirt and baggy sweatpants only made him look slimmer, the t-shirt hanging somewhat off of his left shoulder. That glimpse of pale flesh proved too much for Kevin in his inebriated state. He skipped up and pressed Edd against the bedroom door, sinking his lips into the curve of Edd’s slender neck. He managed a nibble or two before a soft whimpering drew Kevin’s attention up to Edd’s mouth. He kissed the boy roughly and recklessly, all of his suppressed feelings bubbling up in his stomach. He was so far into the kiss that it took him several seconds to realize that Edd was shoving against his chest, making sounds of protest in the back of his throat. Kevin stumbled back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Edd turned away, shaking, hands pressed against his ears. He muttered something to himself, over and over, and Kevin cautiously moved closer so he could hear what it was.

“This is a dream, it has to be a dream, I am most certainly dreaming, there is no logical way that this would not be a dream…”

Kevin grinned. He reached out and wrapped a hand around Edd’s wrist, pulling him closer.

“If this is a dream, baby, ’s the best dream I ever had,” he said, leaning in for another kiss.

“No, Kevin!” Edd ducked away from the kiss and moved to the other side of the room. “You are drunk, therefore your judgment is hindered. You do not know what you are doing or saying, and I will not permit you to treat me in such a manner!”

Kevin leaned up against the door. “Double D, I know _exactly_ what I’m doin’ and sayin’. I’ve been waitin’ for this night for a _year_.”

Edd’s heart skipped. _He has been thinking about our kiss last year?_

“You look really hot when I make you speechless,” Kevin stated, grinning.

Edd blushed. “I appreciate the compliment, but I must insist that you desist from such speech.” Kevin moved toward him and Edd deflected with a question. “Please, enlighten me: how on earth did you gain entrance to my home?”

Kevin shrugged. “Door was unlocked.”

Edd slapped a hand to his forehead. _I knew I had forgotten something. Thank goodness the only intruder was Kevin!_ His train of thought was interrupted abruptly by a surprise kiss. _Kevin moves surprisingly gracefully for a drunk. I suppose it has to do with his athleticism._ Edd felt strong hands grip his shoulders and he was pushed back gently onto the bed. Kevin climbed on top, never once breaking the kiss, and slid his hand up Edd’s neck. _I really should stop this; he is not in his right mind._ Kevin slid his knee in between Edd’s thighs and moved his lips down to Edd’s collarbone. His free hand trailed up Edd’s side, brushing the skin with his fingertips. _This is terribly irresponsible of me…_ Those teasing fingers slid back down his ribs, drawing a shudder and a moan from the pale boy— _I really should…_ —trailed across his stomach— _stop this…—_ slipped under the elastic in his sweatpants, and suddenly an alarm sounded in Edd’s head.

“Stop—” he gasped. His voice sounded ragged. He took a deep breath and pushed against Kevin as hard as he could. “Kevin, stop this instant!”

Kevin sat back, looking hurt and confused. “Why, ‘s matter?”

“I—you are not thinking clearly and I have no desire to be your one-night-stand, as they are called. Besides…” Edd swallowed the lump in his throat. “As far as I can deduce from past observations, you are not gay. In fact, you are far from it.”

Kevin rolled his eyes and laughed. “Please, Edd. You don’t know anything. I’m jus’ as gay as you are. Jus’ ask Nazz. She’s the only one I told.”

“Nazz is my primary piece of evidence that points to the contrary! You have been demonstrating your interest in her for years!”

“Nah,” he sighed. He settled back on the bed. “I jus’ ask her to dances and stuff so that creep friend of yours will leave her ‘lone.” He mumbled something else, but Edd couldn’t catch it. After a few beats of silence, Kevin began to snore.

Edd sighed heavily. He walked over to the bed and gently removed Kevin’s shoes, setting them by the door. He pushed and shoved until Kevin rolled over into a more natural position, curling up into a ball on the bed. Edd wriggled a pillow under his head and drew his quilt up to the jock’s chin. As Edd pulled away, his hand was caught by Kevin’s. Kevin stared up at him with serious eyes and placed a soft kiss right in the center of Edd’s palm. Blushing, Edd pulled his hand back and went to sit at his desk.

“I will allow you to stay the night, considering that sending you home might result in your injury. However, we will need to have a very serious talk in the morning.”

Edd was talking mostly to himself; Kevin had already drifted off again. The words were comforting, however. Edd pulled out his notebook, rubbing at his tired eyes. He flipped to a clean page and attempted to record and categorize his thoughts, but they came too quickly; his hand could not keep up with the flow of information passing through his brain. With a frustrated groan, he threw the pencil down and set his head on the desk. _I suppose I should move to the guest room, or perhaps the couch…I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment…_

A few short hours later, the morning sun crept into the room, casting soft shadows over the sleeping faces of the two boys as they dreamed sweet nothings about the other.


	15. Chapter 15

Edd suddenly became aware that he was awake. He scrunched his face up and yawned. The movement sent little pains shooting through his neck and he frowned. _What have I done to my neck?_ _And why am I awake?_ A low buzzing filled the air. _Ah. That’s why._ Edd sat up and twisted his neck before reaching out to find his phone. His desk was an absolute wreck. He gazed around in confusion, concern creasing his brow. _What on earth…?_ He finally located his phone on the floor next to his chair. He flipped it open and pressed it to his ear, listening for several seconds before realizing that the vibrating hadn’t stopped. He gazed down at the phone in utter confusion. From behind came a rustling, a groan, a muted click, and a muffled “hello?”. Edd stiffened, the events from the night flooding back into his mind as he listened to Kevin mumble into his phone.

“Fuck, Nazz, do you know what time it is? Why the hell are you calling me? Yes, I made it home. No, I don’t give a fuck what happened with Britney. Well, I’m sorry, but it’s not my fault. No, it’s not. Nazz, she cornered me, tried to make out with me, and I left. That’s it. Yeah. Yes. _Yes,_ Nazz. Yeah, me, too. He said he was busy, though. Studying or some shit. I know, he’s such a fucking dork. Mmm…yeah. I know.” Kevin rolled onto his back with a sigh. “Nazz…I was having the best dream, and you fucking woke me up. No, you don’t. You really don’t. Fine, you want to hear it? I dreamed that I was in his room. Yeah, and I told him. Nazz, I _told_ him. God, it was so good. Hmm? None of your business! Is not! Ugh, if you must know, we just kissed. Something about me being drunk and not having judgment. Yeah, typical Double D, even in my dreams. Nazz…I wish I _could_ just tell hi—”

Edd heard the phone clatter to the floor. He slowly turned around, eyes trained on the floor. He glanced up and found, as expected, that Kevin had noticed his presence. He was sitting straight up in the bed, face red with fear and embarrassment. The look in his eyes screamed of complete horror. Kevin’s mouth worked up and down for a moment. He appeared to be on the verge of tears.

“Kevin…” Edd whispered.

Kevin scrambled from the bed and shot out of the door. Edd heard him fall down the stairs and shout an obscenity before slamming the front door open. As the footsteps faded away, Edd fell to his knees, gasping. _What just happened?_ He looked wildly around the room, noting that Kevin left his shoes behind, and his eyes finally fell on Kevin’s cell phone. He crawled on his hands and knees toward it and snatched it up. He could hear Nazz shouting on the other end. He steeled himself and pressed the phone to his ear.

“G-Greetings, Nazz.” He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.

Nazz was silent for a moment. “Fuck. Edd. Listen to me. You have to find him.”

“B-but…”

“No! No buts! Now get off your ass and go!”

Edd sprinted down the stairs and shoved his shoes onto his feet, not bothering to lock the door behind him as he stumbled out into the street. The sun was peeking over the tops of the trees, casting a cruelly cheerful glow on the cul-de-sac. Edd stopped in the middle of the street, panting. He had no idea where to begin looking. He mind raced wildly, trying to remember Kevin’s childhood hangouts. It occurred to him to look at the creek, and while he didn’t have a reason, he was willing to allow intuition to win over logic just this once. He ran as fast as he could, trying to ignore the stitch in his side. He cursed himself for his scrawny physique. After an eternity, the creek came into view and, with it, a hunched figure in a red baseball cap. Kevin rocked back and forth, shoulders shaking, and Edd came to the uncomfortable realization that the redhead was crying. He took a step forward and a stick snapped under his foot. Kevin froze for a moment, rubbed his sleeve vigorously across his face, and stood to face Edd.

“H-Hey, Double D.” He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. “How’s it hanging?”

“Kevin, we…we need to talk.”

“Actually, I don’t think we do. Thanks for letting me crash at your place. I’ll see you at school.” He began to walk away, shoulders pulled up around his ears.

“Wait!” Edd cried. Kevin turned and looked at him, eyes hopeful. “You…you forgot your shoes and phone. They’re still at my house.”

Kevin frowned and kept walking. “I’ll get them tomorrow,” he muttered.

“No, stop!” Edd ran forward and grabbed Kevin’s arm. He flushed at the sudden contact but held tight. “I would really appreciate it if you would come get them right now. Please…come home with me.”

Kevin nodded tersely, removed Edd’s hand from his arm, and walked away. Edd jogged to catch up and the pair walked in silence. Kevin stared off into the distance, avoiding looking at Edd. Sighing, Edd bit his lip and, on a whim, slid his hand into Kevin’s. The jock tensed, but he didn’t pull away, something that Edd took as a good sign. As they passed through the cul-de-sac, Edd saw a movement in his peripherals. He glanced sharply at Nazz’s house, noting the curtain in the living room swaying back and forth. He smiled to himself, thinking, _she must really care about him. How sweet._

Edd reclaimed his hand when they reached his house so he could remove his shoes at the door. He watched as Kevin went ahead, climbing the stairs with careful steps and disappearing into Edd’s room. Edd scratched his head under his hat and sighed. The butterflies in his stomach that he had done so well to ignore came flooding back full force, and it took every ounce of courage he had to ascend the stairs to his room. _Just be honest,_ he told himself. He paused in the doorway. Kevin lay face down on the bed with a pillow over his head. The tremor in his shoulders suggested he may be crying again. Edd took a deep breath and walked to the bed, exhaling as he sat down.

“Kev—” he began.

Kevin flipped onto his side and wrapped his arms around Edd, effectively silencing the boy. He hid his face against Edd’s leg.

“Look,” he said softly. “You already know. There’s no point beating around the damn bush. I like you.” He paused for a long moment. “You gonna say anything?”

Edd had a thousand things he wanted to say, but all he could choke out was, “Why?”

Kevin exhaled sharply. “Do we really have to have that conversation right now? Does it even matter?”

“Kevin, I am a very logical person. My life revolves around the question of ‘why’.” Edd fidgeted with his hands as the arms tightened around him.

“Well, maybe I don’t have an answer for you just yet.”

They remained still for a moment before Edd wiggled away from Kevin. “Can…can you please sit up and face me, Kevin?”

The redhead complied, confusion coloring his eyes. Edd repositioned himself so he was sitting just close enough that his knee brushed against Kevin’s. Edd leaned forward and lifted a shaking hand, placing it on Kevin’s cheek. He looked straight into Kevin’s eyes and saw sincerity.

“Tell me,” he said.

“Edd.” Kevin’s voice was low and serious. “I like you.”

“I see.” Edd bit his lip. He could detect no sign of trickery or deception, nothing to indicate that Kevin’s words were anything less than the truth. “Well, in that case, I suppose this would not be considered out of line.”

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Kevin’s lips, a kiss that was gratefully and eagerly reciprocated. Their mouths worked at each other, unfamiliar touches blending awkwardly. Kevin moved his hands to Edd’s slender hips, rubbing reassuring circles into the skin with his thumbs. When they broke apart, Kevin pressed their foreheads together, grinning at the bright blush on Edd's cheeks.

“No,” Kevin said, moving in for another kiss. “That wouldn’t be out of line at all.”


	16. Chapter 16

At 7:18 in the morning, on the first Sunday of his sophomore year of high school, Edd softly shut his front door, pressed his back against it, and slid down to the floor, grinning giddily and pressing the palms of his hands to his pink cheeks. His lips still tingled with warmth; Kevin’s taste lingered on his tongue. His heart raced as he replayed the goodbye kiss over and over in his mind, but heavy sleepiness pulled at his eyelids. He allowed the butterflies in his stomach to float him up the stairs and onto the bed. There, he buried his face in the sheets to catch whatever faint scent Kevin had left in it from the previous night. The rational part of Edd’s mind insisted that things were much more complicated than they seemed, but he didn’t care. The logistics could wait; right now, all he desired was to slip into his dreams where he knew a certain redhead would be waiting for him.

* * *

Kevin took deep breaths, hoping the fresh, cool morning air would help his headache. His eyes refused to focus, his tiredness and his hangover getting the best of him, and so he stumbled to his house. At the door, he shook his head to clear it and tried to put on a convincing face in case his dad was already up. As luck would have it, the coast was clear, and he was able to slouch up to his room and collapse, fully clothed, on his bed. He kicked his shoes off and sighed deeply, relishing in the dark quiet of his room. He rolled onto his back and exhaled through pursed lips. He couldn’t stop thinking about that shy, gap-toothed smile. _I put that smile on his face,_ he thought. He brought the back of his hand up to cover his grin and he fell asleep smiling.

* * *

Edd woke up with a start when his phone vibrated. Déjà vu sent panic flooding through him. _It wasn’t a dream, was it?!_ He scrambled out of bed for the phone buzzing across his desk. He realized after he answered the call and set the phone against his ear that he had failed to check the caller I.D. Cursing himself silently, he stuttered out a greeting.

“Hey, Double Dork. Did I wake you up?”

“Kevin,” Edd sighed in relief. “No—well, yes, you did, but I ought to be awake anyway. Has your nap alleviated the negative effects of your hangover?”

“Uh…look, I’ve got a killer headache. You’re gonna have to speak like the rest of us.”

Edd giggled. “Are you feeling better now that you’ve had a nap?”

“Oh. Yeah. More or less. My head still hurts, but you know. It’s alright.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a moment before Kevin spoke again, his voice quick and nervous. “So I was wondering…if you don’t have anything going on, could you help me with my homework? I had practice on Friday and the party last night, so I haven’t done it yet…”

“Oh!” Edd said brightly. “Of course! I am quite certain that I will be able to assist you with any subject you may be having difficulty with. I request an hour to wash up and complete some chores, but you may come any time after that, if you wish.”

“Cool. I’ll see you in an hour, then. Bye, dork.”

The call ended and Edd hugged himself to keep from squealing. _What has become of me? I’ve allowed my childhood bully to reduce me to a giggling school girl._ Shaking his head, he quickly set about cleaning his room and completing a few of the chores listed on the sticky notes left by his mother before jumping into the shower. He scrubbed himself thoroughly, taking extra care to clean every inch of his body, from his teeth to the spaces in between his toes. He stood in front of his closet for fifteen minutes fretting over what to wear before mentally slapping himself for being ridiculous. He dressed in a pair of jeans and a light sweater. Bunny slippers firmly on foot, he skipped downstairs to make a cup of tea, whistling as he went. The cheerful tune and warm beverage had a calming effect on him, an effect that was dispelled immediately by the ringing of the doorbell. Suddenly he was in a panic, feet slipping on the hardwood floor, tea spilled on the front of his sweater, frantically debating whether or not to change, arriving breathless at the door.

“Greetings!” he gasped.

Kevin grinned. “Well, don’t you look a hot mess.”

Edd blushed furiously. “Yes, well. E-Excuse me and I’ll go freshen up, shall I?” He held the door open for Kevin, allowing him entrance. “Please leave your shoes by the door.” He turned to go up the stairs, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

“Hey, dork. You don’t have to go change just for me. It’s only a little spot.” Kevin pulled the end of Edd’s sweater out and up. “See? It’s drying already.”

“Well, I suppose it _is_ drying…”

“That’s the spirit.” Kevin pulled him into a crushing side hug. “Stay down here with me.”

* * *

“Kevin, it really is quite simple…”

“Sure, maybe for a dork like you! Fuck this, man. I’m never going to use this…what is this again?”

“That would be the Pythagorean theorem, Kevin. And even if you never use it again, as you claim, you _will_ need to use it on the test next week. If you plan on remaining on the baseball team, you must keep your grades up.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Kevin ran a hand through his hair, his baseball cap long since abandoned in a fit of frustration. “Look, can we stop? My head is going to explode any second now.”

“Kevin, that is highly improbable, _if_ it is even physically possible.”

He groaned. “You know what I mean.”

Edd laughed. “Yes, I do.”

Kevin leaned forward, one eyebrow raised. “Double D! Are you _teasing_ me? _You_?”

Edd covered his mouth with his hand to muffle his laughter. “Yes, I suppose I am. What do you plan to do about it?”

Kevin put every ounce of self-control he had into not letting his eyes roll back in his head at Edd’s unintentionally seductive question. He glance at the giggling boy, caught his gaze and held it, moving toward him slowly and deliberately. He hooked his finger through Edd’s pinky and pulled, removing the hand from Edd’s mouth. His lips brushed against Edd’s, teasing and taunting. He grinned and turned so he could whisper in Edd’s ear.

“You know _exactly_ what I plan to do about it.”

Edd let out a soft squeak, cheeks burning. “O-Oh, look at the time! I really should be getting to bed. We do have school in the morning, and a proper night’s sleep is vital to academic success.” He scooted backwards quickly, placing a decorative pillow in between them.

“Yeah, yeah.” Kevin stood and stretched. “Thanks for helping me with homework.”

“Oh, of course!” Edd moved to the door, fiddling with the lock while Kevin slid his shoes on. “Well! I suppose I shall see you tomorrow. Have a lovely evening!”

Kevin stole a kiss before Edd could protest and ducked out the door. “You, too, dork.” He smiled, winked, and was gone, leaving a funny tingling feeling on Edd’s lips and in his chest.


	17. Chapter 17

Edd’s alarm began chirping, pulling him out of sleep, and he groaned. For the first time in his life, he found himself dreading school. The thought had occurred to him just as he was about to fall asleep and had kept him up for hours afterward as he fretted, and now it invaded his thoughts again: _what about at school?_ He was torn. On the one hand, he desperately hoped that Kevin would take his hand, walk proudly through the hallways with him, but that was ridiculous. _We’ve only just begun to try at a relationship. I have no claim over him…yet._ On the other hand, he knew perfectly well that Kevin had an image to keep up. He sincerely doubted he would fit into that image, even if he were a girl. He prepared for school absent-mindedly and rushed outside to greet his friends.

“Double D!” Ed shouted. “Your head is on backwards! Did you get abducted by aliens last night?”

“M-My head…?” Edd brought his hands up to straighten his hat. “What’s wrong with my head?”

“Your shirt’s on backwards,” Eddy said. “What’s wrong with you this morning?”

“Nothing, Eddy.” Edd pulled his arms into his shirt and rotated it to its proper position. “I suppose I’m just nervous.”

“For what?”

“I, ah…I have a test,” he said lamely.

“Whatever, dude. Let’s go.”

Halfway to the school building, a familiar voice called out to them. “Hi, Eds!”

Nazz waved from the back of Kevin’s bike as they rode past. She mouthed a “thank you” to Edd and winked at Eddy. Eyes hopeful, Edd turned his gaze to Kevin. The redhead gave a nod that was nearly imperceptible, barely even glancing over.

“See you at school!” Nazz yelled over her shoulder as they disappeared into the distance.

_Well,_ Edd thought bitterly. _I suppose that answers that question_. His mood took a sudden dive, and he walked the rest of the way in a stony silence that quickly crushed any attempts at conversation. By the time they reached the school, Eddy and Ed looked entirely uncomfortable. Eddy pulled at his collar as he said farewell, avoiding eye contact. Ed turned Edd to face away from him before pulling him up into a tentative hug. The pair hurried away without looking back. Edd felt a twinge of guilt for frightening his friends, but it went as quickly as it came. Content to spend the day moping, he deposited his lunch in his locker and grabbed his books for first period. He slid into his desk and spent the class period taking notes with a vengeance. The students around him edged away discreetly. When Mr. Smith called on him to answer a question, he glanced up sharply and the teacher nearly dropped his book in fright. When the bell rang, he dropped his head to his desk, groaning. _Pull yourself together, Eddward._ He stood and apologized to Mr. Smith as he left for his next class.

The rest of the day was spent focused wholeheartedly on his work. Only once did he see Kevin, sitting in the cafeteria, purposely avoiding Edd’s gaze. The rejection stung a bit, but Edd allowed the flow of new knowledge and learning to drown out any emotional response. It had always fascinated him, this ability he had to remove emotion from his life. He couldn’t sustain it—he mostly used it for quick bursts in moments when his emotions might get in the way—but he seemed to be progressing, building endurance. He held out until the very end of school.

Shoving books back into his locker after the final bell, Edd glanced around, searching the crowd. Had anyone asked, he would have told them that he was looking for his two friends; if he were to be honest with himself, he would admit that he was looking for a very specific baseball cap. He took as long as he could without looking suspicious, even going so far as to drop a book on his foot so he could lean against the lockers and rub the feeling back into it. His efforts were in vain. With a defeated sigh, he turned to close his locker and leave for home. A flash of white caught his eye, but too late; the locker door slammed shut before he could stop himself. Grumbling, he reentered the combination and whipped the door open. Taped to the inside— _how did he do that?_ —was a folded sheet of paper with the word “dork” written on the front. He unfolded it, eager to read it, but the page was filled with words and he didn’t have the time. His friends were waiting. He slid it into his front pocket where he could feel it poking his thigh, demanding to be read.

“So Sockhead, I was thinking. We should write essays and sell them to people. And by ‘we’ I mean ‘you’. Do you realize how much people would pay to have you do their homework for them?” Eddy’s hands sliced through the air, animating his latest scheme.

“I would pay for buttered toast!” Ed shouted.

“Shut it, Lumpy. So what do you say, Double D?”

“Eddy, I am quite certain that you already know my answer. I will not assist others in cheating.” Edd played with the strap of his bag. “Don’t you think it’s about time to quit scheming?”

“What? Hell no! This is the big league now. There is serious money to be had, and I intend to take it all for myself!” Eddy said, gesturing largely at himself with his thumb.

“It’s going to land you in trouble one of these days, and if our relationship up to this point is any indication whatsoever, it will likely land me and Ed in trouble as well.”

“Oh, shut up! Like you weren’t right there every time. You make it sound like I kidnap you, sheesh…” Eddy fell into a pouty silence.

Edd rolled his eyes and sighed through his nose. Ed looked back and forth between the two, biting his lip, brow furrowed in concern. He did a few quick calculations in his head and reached the conclusion that a group hug would be the best solution to this problem, so he looped his arms around each of their necks and reeled them in. His mistook the hands scrabbling at his arms as a reciprocation of his love and squeezed even tighter.

“I love you guys!” he yelled. “Now kiss and make up!”

Eddy finally slipped free and straightened his shirt, face growing red. “Hell no. Who would want to kiss Sockhead?” As soon as the words left his mouth he cringed. “No, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Edd pulled his hat firmly into place, glaring at his short friend. “For your information, _Eddy_ , there is someone who does in fact want to kiss me.”

Ed came to an abrupt halt, throwing his arms out and catching his friends in the stomachs. “Double D, you have a lover?”

Edd blushed. “I would hardly call it love, Ed.”

“Hold the phone,” Eddy interjected, recovered from his initial shock. “How do you know that someone wants to kiss you?”

Edd’s blush deepened. “Because he kissed me.”

“ _You?_ Got _kissed?_ I don’t believe you. It’s just not possible. No offense, but you aren’t exactly Romeo. What, were you both drunk or someth—”

“Double D,” Ed interrupted. “What do you mean ‘he’ kissed you?”

Eddy froze mid-sentence, staring at Ed with wide eyes. Edd was mortified. He felt himself seize up, his intelligence failing to provide him with the proper steps to handle this situation. As the seconds ticked by, only Ed moved, fidgeting nervously with his shirt hem. He looked confused and worried, like he knew he said the wrong thing but didn’t understand why it was the wrong thing to say. Edd willed himself to do something, but all he could manage was a soft “oh.”

Ed broke down sobbing. “What did I say, Double D? I’m sorry! Will gravy make it better?”

“No, Ed, gravy won’t make it better—”

“I’ll go get gravy!”

“Ed, wait! You didn’t say anything…” Edd trailed off as his friend ran away down the street. “…wrong.” He let out a heavy sigh, looking down at the sidewalk. When Eddy’s shoes came into his field of vision he flinched, expecting some form of berating. He did not expect the hand that settled gently on his shoulder. He glanced up. “Eddy?”

“Double D, are you gay?”

“Ah…I suppose I might be. It is still too early in my time as a sexual being to say for certain, but…”

“But you kissed a guy and you liked it, yeah, yeah. I get it.” Eddy studied his face for a moment before suddenly pulling him into a tight hug. The embrace ended just as quickly as it had begun. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Y-You’re not…mad?”

“Why would I be mad? You’re my best friend. The people you exchange spit with don’t change that. Duh. You can be a real moron sometimes, you know that?”

“You’ve told me that before, yes.”

“We should probably hold off on telling Lumpy. He’ll figure it out on his own soon enough.” They walked in silence for a moment, and then Eddy broke down laughing. “I wonder if he’s actually going to bring you gravy.”

“I certainly hope not!”

The cul-de-sac came into view. They slowed to say their goodbyes before splitting up. Eddy gave Edd’s shoulder a final squeeze before loping off toward his house. Edd smiled and shook his head. _I don’t know why I was so worried. Eddy is a good friend to me._ He walked inside and locked the door, settling on the couch to watch a new documentary on the life-cycle of dragonflies. He pulled the note out of his pocket and regarded it. Now that his mind was free to think it over, he began to wonder if the length of the note was perhaps a bad thing. Edd bit his lip, debating. Kevin wouldn’t reject him with a letter…would he? Unable to cope with the thought of rejection, Edd left the letter on the coffee table and went into the kitchen for a cup of tea. He sifted through his collection, choosing one with lavender in it, an herb known for its calming properties. He drank it slowly in the living room, focusing on the documentary until the tea’s soothing effect took hold. Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention to the note, unfolding it slowly and resting it on his lap as he read.

_Edd-_    

_I already know what you’re thinking, and it’s not true. So shut up. This isn’t anything bad. I’m sorry I didn’t see you today, but…well, we’ll talk about that later. I have practice after school, so I can’t attack you with handcuffs today. Such a shame. You look good in them. ;)_

_Thanks for helping me with my homework yesterday. My teacher was really impressed. I just might pass this class if you keep helping me. I like the idea of study sessions with you. Maybe someday we can work on anatomy together._

_God, I’m bored. I have half an hour left in this stupid class. Twenty minutes. Ten minutes. Five minutes. Finally. I suppose I should wrap this up, then. I wish I could see the look on your face when you find this in your locker. I bet you’ll be wondering for days how I got it taped to the door. I’ll never tell!_

_I’ll be over later. We need to talk. See you then._

_-K_

Edd’s face was bright red by the end of the note. He made soft noises of disapproval at the inappropriate jokes as he reread the letter, letting it sink in. He heaved a sigh of relief, slumping down on the couch. He knew exactly what Kevin wanted to talk about, as well as why he had avoided him all day; he had his image to keep up. It hurt a little bit, deep down, to realize that he was not as important as Kevin’s popularity, but he would be lying if he denied that he’d seen it coming. He contemplated what he might say to Kevin later, but a sharp knock at the door interrupted his ponderings. Edd’s heart leapt out of his chest. _Surely Kevin cannot be here so soon if he had practice…_ He lunged for the door, pausing to collect himself before opening it. On his doorstop stood a teary-eyed Ed.

“Oh, Ed,” he said. He felt himself deflate slightly but tried to hide it from his friend. “Ed, why do you look so sad? I said it was alright; there’s no need to fret.”

“Promise, Double D? Promise you still love me?”

“Of course, Ed.” Edd contemplated a hug, but Ed’s clothes smelled and his face was soggy with tears. He settled for a pat on the head.

“I brought you gravy,” Ed said brightly, holding out the large container.

“Oh, how…thoughtful,” Edd replied. He took the container carefully, holding it away from his body. “I appreciate the visit, Ed, but I really must start on my homework, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Goodbye, Double D! Do not get eaten by vampires tonight!”

“I’ll do my best,” Edd promised. He shut the door and went into the kitchen to dispose of the gravy. He set the container in the sink to be washed and pulled out his phone. He pulled open a new text, entering Kevin’s phone number from his contact list.

[Greetings. I hope your practice went well. Please enter my house from the back and try not to be seen on your way here. Do not forget to remove your shoes at the door. I look forward to your arrival.]


	18. Chapter 18

The kitchen was cleaned to a shine, homework completed and corrected twice, the carpets vacuumed thoroughly, dinner picked at and disposed of, and an engaging novel discarded in favor of some mindless TV program, and still there had been no sign of Kevin. Edd was growing impatient, even frustrated, as the hours passed. He knew for a fact that practice did not end any later than six o’clock; his cell phone displayed the current time as just after nine. He had less than an hour left before he needed to be in bed in order to obtain the optimal eight hours of sleep. His foot tapped out a restless pattern, fingers rubbing at his temples. He was irritated at Kevin for being late, but even more so he was irritated at himself for getting so worked up over something as silly as a boy.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid…” he muttered.

He abandoned the living room for a shower, deciding that Kevin was likely not going to come this late at night. He rushed through it, determined to be in bed on time. He brushed his teeth and flossed, careful not to miss a spot. He dragged a comb through his hair, working through the tangles, and pulled on a clean hat. His towel slipped on the way down the hall toward his room. Grumbling, he caught it and worked on tucking the ends in tighter around his chest. He walked into his room and screamed, nearly dropping the towel altogether.

“Kevin! What are you doing in my room?!” He worked on bringing his voice back down to a reasonable level.

Kevin shrugged, looking entirely unapologetic. “I did knock.”

Edd opened his mouth to scold him, but the smirk on Kevin’s face indicated that an argument would get him nowhere. He mumbled to himself under his breath. “Rude, inconsiderate, infuriating…”

“What was that?” Kevin spoke from just behind Edd, causing the smaller boy to jump.

Edd moved away from his dresser quickly, pulling his desk chair in between them. “I said it’s rude. You are _rude_ , Kevin, for barging in and invading my personal space. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to get dressed!”

Edd grabbed the front of Kevin’s shirt and maneuvered him into the hallway, slamming the door behind him. He heard Kevin laugh and lean up against the door. His cheeks grew pink from embarrassment. He dried himself off and pulled open his well-organized drawers to select proper attire for the night.

“Hey, dork, are you naked yet?”

“Kevin!” came the indignant reply.

Kevin snickered. After a few moments, Edd was fully clothed. He went to the door, determined that Kevin was still leaning on it, and stepped to the side before flinging it open. Kevin fell backwards with a shout. He glared up from the floor, crossing his arms over his chest. Edd laughed lightly.

“Don’t give me that look, Kevin. You should not have been leaning against the door. Consider it payback for scaring me out of my wits earlier.” Edd stepped over Kevin and out into the hall. “Do you require any food or beverage this eveni—” He yelped as strong hands wrapped around his ankle, sending him crashing to the floor. “Kevin! Release me this instant!”

“No,” Kevin replied simply. He pulled Edd closer and settled down beside him, propped up on his elbow. “I haven’t seen you all day and I want a kiss, if that’s ok with you.”

Edd bit his lip hesitantly. Kevin closed his eyes and puckered slightly, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Edd’s cheeks grew red again— _will I ever stop blushing?_ —and he leaned forward to press his lips to Kevin’s. Fear took hold at the last second, and he panicked, planting the kiss on his forehead instead. He wasted no time in jumping to his feet and scurrying out of Kevin’s reach. Kevin looked disappointed, but he didn’t press the matter. He stood and took Edd’s hand, leading him down into the living room. They sat on the loveseat facing each other. Edd pulled his knees up and clutched a couch cushion to his chest, watching as Kevin spread himself out, slumping down into a more comfortable position.

“How was practice?” Edd asked softly.

“It was alright. I’m sorry I’m late. I’m surprised you haven’t told me off for it yet.”

“I fully intend to when I have the time; however, we have more important things to discuss, I presume, and you have exactly thirteen minutes left before I send you away. I have a schedule to keep to, you know.”

Kevin laughed. “We wouldn’t want to miss your bedtime, now, would we?” He rested an arm across the back of the couch, toying with a loose strand of Edd’s hair. “Well, since you’re so smart and all, why don’t you tell me what I want to talk about? I’m sure you’ve already figured it out.”

Edd looked away. “I assume you wish to keep our…relationship a secret for the sake of your social standing.”

Kevin nodded. “Sort of…” he began, but Edd cut him off.

“Of course, I completely understand your situation and respect your desire to remain popular. I understand that, as both a male and, as you say, a ‘dork,’ I do not fit into this image that you have built for yourself.”

“Double D—”

“I would like to assure you that keeping our relationship, if this is indeed a relationship, quiet does not bother me. I am quite accustomed to fading into the background and avoiding attention. I am not always successful at my endeavors, but I have your friends to thank for that. Oh! No! I did not mean to insult your friends. I simply meant…”

“Edd, shut up for a minute, will you?” Kevin clamped his hand down over Edd’s mouth. “Now, I’m going to release your face, and you are going to be quiet, got it?”

Eyes wide, Edd nodded. Kevin pulled his hand away and Edd wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

“Filthy, filthy, filthy…” he muttered.

"I thought I told you to be quiet," Kevin said, a sharp edge to his voice. He heard Edd's teeth click together as his mouth snapped shut. "Yes, I want to keep this—us—quiet. No, it is not to protect my image or anything like that. Okay, maybe it is a little bit to protect my image. I'm still pretty disposable, you know? I was lucky to be a floater player this year, so I got to play with the varsity team, but that doesn't mean anything's set in stone. Once I make the varsity team, I'm fine, but that won't happen until next year. Well, it might happen this year, but I doubt it. Sort of. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'll make it this year, but I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, and—yes?"

Edd sat perfectly still, eyes wide, one hand raised into the air. “Kevin, you are rambling.”

“Oh, I’m…I’m sorry.” He leaned forward and took Edd’s hands in his own. “Double D, the reason I want to keep this quiet is that I worry about you. The guys already pick on you, and I can’t always be there to save you or whatever. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Edd smiled, showing the gap in his teeth. “Kevin, I appreciate the sentiment, but I am quite accustomed to bullying. I’m sure I could handle it.”

“I don’t know, dork. If you heard some of the stuff they say about gays…I don’t want to risk it, at least not until I can control them.”

“I understand,” Edd replied. His heart fluttered to think that Kevin had his well-being in mind. “I suppose this means that I won’t be able to see you at school.”

“Nah, I think that’ll be ok. I’ll figure something out.” The clock in the front hall began to chime, announcing the hour. Kevin stood up and stretched. “I guess that’s my cue. Walk me to the door?”

“Of course! What kind of host do you think I am?” Edd took the outstretched hand and followed Kevin to the back door. “It would be greatly appreciated if you could arrive at an earlier hour next time.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kevin pulled his shoe over his heel and suddenly pulled Edd toward him. “Shut up and kiss me, dork.”


	19. Chapter 19

“Hey, Sockhead. Are you busy this afternoon?”

“Hmm?” Edd looked up from his textbook. “I’m sorry, Eddy, I was miles away. What did you say?”

“I asked if you’re busy later. I want to hang out,” Eddy replied.

The two friends sat in the courtyard between the library and the cafeteria waiting for Ed to finish his detention. The tall boy had tried to sneak gravy out of the cafeteria and into the library for his free period and ended up spilling the smelly, brown liquid all over a collection of reference books. Under normal circumstances, Edd and Eddy would have simply gone home without him, but today they were celebrating Ed’s acceptance to the football team. They were going out for ice cream, and it made much more sense to sit and wait for half an hour than to go home first. Naturally, Edd chose to pass the time with his homework, spreading his books neatly across the bench in the corner of the courtyard. Eddy leaned up against Edd’s legs and bounced a tennis ball off the wall. Edd glanced down at him, tapping his chin with his pen.

“Well, I suppose I have a bit of free time. I am getting a head start on my homework at the moment. What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. Video games?”

“Eddy, that hardly sounds productive.”

Eddy looked up, eyebrow raised. “Does everything have to be productive? Really?”

Edd fiddled with his shirt hem, debating. “No, I suppose not…” Eddy chuckled and threw the ball again, the hollow thwack echoing across the courtyard. “Ed will be glad to hear of our plans. You know he’ll do anything if it means he doesn’t have to do his homework.”

Eddy caught the ball and turned to rest his arms on Edd’s legs. “Actually, I wasn’t going to invite Ed.”

“Oh?” Edd raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “Why on earth not?”

Eddy studied Edd’s face for a moment before turning back to the wall. “No reason.”

Edd considered pressing the matter, but at that moment Ed came bounding around the corner. He scooped his friends up into a hug and spun around, knocking Edd’s books off of the bench.

“Ed! My books!” Edd yelped. “Set me down this instant!”

“Sorry, Double D. I’m just so excited about ice cream!” Ed set his friends back on the ground and hugged himself. “I’m going to get chocolate and cookie dough!”

Edd scurried around replacing his books and papers into his bag, sliding the strap over his head. Ed wrapped an arm around each friend and together they left campus for the little diner. Nearly twenty minutes later, the trio sat in a booth, each enjoying ice cream in their own way. Edd took small, neat bites from a cup of fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt. Eddy slurped noisily from a strawberry milkshake, talking the entire time about ideas for their epic senior prank. Ed took large bites from a double-scoop waffle cone, making Edd wince at the mess and the potential for brain freeze. Edd left a tip and a note apologizing for Ed’s mess when they left. They were just outside of the cul-de-sac, laughing and horsing around, when Ed received a threatening text from his sister, demanding his presence at home immediately. He said his goodbyes quickly and ran for home. Edd and Eddy waved until he was around the corner.

“Shall we?” Edd gestured toward Eddy’s house.

They entered through the back door. Eddy dumped his bag on the floor and went to sort through the video games he had in an old cardboard box. Edd settled on Eddy’s bed, slipping his shoes off and scooting up to lean against the headboard. He was completely comfortable in only three places in the world: his room, and the rooms of his two best friends. Years of friendship had brought them together into a strange sort of family; this was particularly true for Edd, considering how distant his parents were. He sighed, shaking those thoughts away. Eddy finally settled on a mindless shooter, tossing a controller to Edd before climbing up to settle next to him. They played in silence for a few minutes before Eddy cleared his throat.

“So, tell me about this boy.”

Edd stiffened. “Ah. This is why you wanted to hang out?”

“No, idiot. I wanted to hang out because you’re my best friend and I like hanging out with you. I do want to talk about this, though, so quit stalling and give me some details.”

Eddy’s eyes were trained on the screen; he seemed to be making a special effort to put Edd at ease. He hated to admit it, but it was working. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“He is kind to me. He is intelligent, even if he does not know so himself. He enjoys sports and other active hobbies. He is confident, but always considerate. And…that is all that I have to say. In all honesty, I do not know him very well yet.”

Eddy paused the game and leaned over to jab his finger into Edd’s ribs. “And?”

Edd blushed, knocking Eddy’s hand away. “And what? That’s all there is.”

“Uh huh.” Eddy turned back to the game. “Fine, don’t tell me his name. It’s not like we’re _best friends_ or anything.”

“Eddy…I can’t,” Edd said quietly. “I’m still not sure this whole thing isn’t some kind of elaborate prank or cruel joke. I don’t want…I can’t…”

“Oh, shut up. I get it. Sheesh, you’d think I was asking you to sacrifice your firstborn child or some shit.” Eddy glanced over; Edd looked morose and seemed to shrink into himself. Eddy sighed and reached out to tug on the end of the black hat. “Chill, man. It’s okay. Let’s just forget about it so I can kick your ass for a few more rounds.”

Edd rolled his eyes and complied. Shortly before dinner time, he stepped out of Eddy’s room and walked briskly back to his own house. He spent the remainder of the evening engrossed in his homework and reviewing his notes for the Science Olympiad competition. The first competition was to be held at the Riverside elementary school building and was just a little over a week away. He was currently locked in a heated texting debate with Kevin, trying to talk him out of attending the competition. Kevin insisted on coming, but Edd knew he would find it boring and wished to save him the trouble. He finally caved when Kevin dealt a convincing final blow.

[no one there will know us. after u win we can go out on a date. a real date. what about that?]

Kevin sent the text and grinned. Even before he received Edd’s reluctant acceptance, he knew the little dork wouldn’t be able to resist. He smiled down at the text, typing out a cheesy response, when his dad yelled at him to take the trash out. He rolled his eyes and went to grab the bag from the kitchen. After depositing it in the bin, he turned back to go inside and was surprised to find a folded piece of paper taped to the door. He ripped it off, searching for a name. He couldn’t find one. Set in the middle of the page was a scribbled message.

_Break his heart and I’ll kick your ass._


	20. Chapter 20

Edd neatly wrote out an equation, folded the strip of paper in half, and handed it to the volunteer standing beside him. At the buzzer, the correct answer was read out, matching the answer on Edd’s paper, and points were awarded accordingly. Edd’s team was doing splendidly, holding firm to the second place slot. They were certain that they could pull ahead in the bonus round. Three questions later the supervising teacher called for a ten minute break. Two of his team members walked off in search of a snack and the third put his headphones in and shut his eyes, leaning his head back. Edd let out a sigh and rolled his neck. He used the motion as an excuse to glance around the crowd of students.

He thought back on his actions that morning and felt a little guilty. He’d intentionally failed to tell Kevin when the carpool was leaving for Riverside. By the time it occurred to the redhead to ask, they were halfway to the elementary school. Kevin had been less than pleased—his response was simply [u little shit]—and while Edd certainly didn’t approve of the language, he felt that he deserved the sentiment behind the text. As far as Edd could tell, his plan had worked; Kevin was nowhere in sight and hadn’t been all morning. Still, Edd couldn’t help but wish he’d allowed the jock to come. It would’ve been nice to know someone was cheering him on. He debated trying to text Kevin, but before he could make up his mind his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and smiled as Kevin’s name flashed across the screen.

[looking for me?]

[Of course not! I left you in Peach Creek. Why would I be looking for you?]

[uh huh. turn around, dork.]

Edd spun around so quickly he nearly fell out of his chair. His teammate snickered and Edd shot him a dirty look. Kevin stood just outside the barriers marking off their section of the auditorium. He waved. Shyly, Edd waved back. He stood up and ran over, wrapping his arms around the other. He sighed when he felt Kevin return the hug.

“How did you get here?” he asked.

“I took the bus, and let me tell you, I am not happy about it. I had to sit next to this crazy homeless lady the whole way here.” Kevin frowned as Edd giggled. “Why didn’t you let me come? I said I wanted to.”

“Oh, I just…I didn’t think you would find any of this interesting.”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t. But it’s important to you. I want to support you and shit. Besides…” He leaned in and brushed the tip of his nose against Edd’s ear. “Do you really think I’d miss out on the chance to take you out on a date?”

Edd inhaled sharply and shook his head. “Well,” he said breathily, “I am certainly glad to see you. Our team is confident. I think we may even be able to pull ahead into first place!”

The supervisor called the minute warning. Edd said goodbye to Kevin, who wished him luck. Thirty minutes and one bonus round later, Edd stood in front with the rest of his team to receive their first place ribbon. Kevin clapped enthusiastically, glad the event was finally over. He’d nearly fallen asleep twice. He didn’t understand how Edd could possibly be so excited for something so mind-bogglingly boring, but it was nice to see the little dork so happy. The team stood still for a couple of photos before breaking off to go in their own directions. Edd ran over to Kevin.

“How did I do?” he asked breathlessly.

“You were the dorkiest of them all,” Kevin chuckled. “So, can we go celebrate? You’re done, right?”

Edd bit his lip, looking over at his teacher. “Ah…one moment, please.” He approached his teacher and waited patiently for him to finish a conversation with a parent. “Excuse me, Mr. Stiles, but I was wondering if I was needed for any other events.”

Mr. Stiles thought for a moment. “Well, I was hoping you would take the chemistry demonstration for me. Our regular competitor called in sick this morning.”

“Oh, dear. Well, of course, I’m perfectly willing to—”

“I’ll take it.”

Edd spun around, surprised to hear his teammate interrupt him. The quiet teen shoved his headphones into his pockets and looked over at Edd.

“If it’s alright with you, Mr. Stiles, I think Edd here has somewhere he needs to be. I don’t mind taking the event.”

“Of course, of course!” Mr. Stiles beamed. “Thank you very much. Let’s go get you registered, shall we?”

The boy nodded and waved at Edd. “Have fun on your date,” he called over his shoulder.

Edd did a double-take. _Date…? How did he know?_ He shook it off, dismissing it as a teasing remark and nothing deeper. He walked back over to Kevin.

“We may depart now, if you wish,” he said.

Kevin took his hand and led him out of the school building. “Welcome to our first date, dork.”

Edd blushed. “Thank you. What are we going to do?”

Kevin placed a finger over Edd’s lips. “That’s a secret. But you’re gonna love it. Come on.”


	21. Chapter 21

“A train museum?”

Kevin stood under the main entrance, arms spread wide with a comical grin on his face, a grin that faltered under the weight of Edd’s incredulity.

“What’s wrong with a train museum? I thought you were all about that museum shit.” He frowned and let his arms fall to his sides.

Edd was quick to correct his mistake. “Of course I am pleased with the venue! It is a splendid choice. I was not under the impression that you would enjoy such a thing, however.”

Kevin shrugged, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “I don’t, generally speaking. But, you know. It’s a train! That’s cool!”

His grin was back, and the sight of it threw a twist into Edd’s stomach. The dark-haired boy stepped forward and extended his hand, offering. Kevin gladly took it, sliding their fingers together. They walked inside and paid for the tickets, Edd positively brimming with excitement at the authentic train-station interior. Kevin barely had time to collect his change before Edd dragged him over to the first display case. He chattered away about the history of the town and cooed over the model trains. Kevin took a seat, content to watch the dork go at it. Dashing back and forth between the displays and the informational board, Edd drew the attention of the few other visitors. A little girl thought he was the funniest thing she had ever seen and began to chase him back and forth, mimicking him as he followed a line of text with his finger or splayed his hands out against the glass.

“Fascinating,” he breathed.

“Fastinating!” the girl copied.

Startled, Edd glanced down, noticing his follower for the first time. “Oh, hello,” he said.

“Hello! I’m Janey and you’re funny. Can I wear your hat?” She grinned up at him, showing a few gaps where she was missing teeth.

“Hello, Janey. My name is Edd. I’m sorry, but it really is quite unsanitary to wear another person’s headwear.” Edd brought a protective hand up to his hat.

“But…but…” Janey’s eyes spilled over, large tears rolling down her cheeks.

Kevin watched as Edd’s resolve crumbled, stifling a laugh with the back of his hand. Edd stared down helplessly, his hands hovering above her shoulders.

“But…the exchange of germs and parasites…head lice…I can’t…don’t cry…” Edd fumbled over his words, sounding like he might cry himself.

Kevin shook his head and stood. Edd looked up at him, eyes pleading for help. He held up a finger and ducked into the gift shop. He grabbed a small conductor’s hat and slid a ten dollar bill across the counter, telling the bored employee to keep the change. He stepped back out and tossed the hat to Edd. He fumbled to catch it, staring at it for a few seconds before understanding dawned on his face. He crouched down to Janey’s level and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe at her tears.

“I really can’t share my hat with you, but perhaps you would be content with this one?” He held out the hat. “It’s just like the one a conductor would wear. Quite fitting for a train enthusiast such as yourself.”

She gasped, her tears ceasing as quickly as they had started. She nodded hard, jumping up and down with excitement as he carefully fitted the hat over her hair. She ran over to the glass display case to see how it looked. She screamed with joy, startling everyone in the room and drawing the attention of one man in particular. He strode over and scooped her up.

“Janey! What have I told you about the screaming?” he scolded.

"To not to,” she said sheepishly. “But Daddy! Look at my hat! It’s perfect!”

“Yes, it is. Wait, where did you get a hat?”

“My new best friend gave it to me!” She squirmed until he set her down and ran over to Edd, taking his hand. “Right, Edd?”

Edd smiled at her. “Of course, Janey.”

Janey’s father laughed. “Well, tell Edd thank you and come along. It’s time to go home now.”

"Thank you, Edd!” she shouted.

She threw her arms around him for a hug and then let her father take her hand and lead her out of the building. At the door she stopped to wave at him. He returned the wave with a smile and went to sit by Kevin. He leaned into his date and sighed. Kevin wrapped an arm snugly around Edd’s shoulders, playing with a loose strand of dark hair.

“What’s on your mind, babe?”

“Oh…I was just thinking. Kevin, did you ever regret that you are an only child?”

Kevin exhaled through pursed lips. “Huh. I don’t think I ever thought about it. Not really, I guess. I’m too selfish.” They sat in silence for a few moments. “What about you? I bet you got lonely in that big house all by yourself.”

Edd bit his lip. “Well, yes and no. My personality lends itself to solitude, so in general I enjoy the peace and quiet. I certainly never wanted the kind of sibling Ed has. I suppose I did think about it once or twice…having someone to keep me company and care for me.”

Kevin saw a flash of sadness cross Edd’s face. He leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Well, now you got me. So don’t worry about being alone anymore, okay?”

Edd smiled and nodded. He turned his face up for a kiss and then rested his cheek against Kevin’s shoulder. They sat together, watching the little model train roll around on its track, until the woman at the ticket desk announced it was time to board the train. Edd hopped up, narrowly missing clipping Kevin’s chin in his excitement. He took a few hurried steps toward the door and then stopped. He turned back and held out his hand.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Kevin grinned and took the hand. “Always.”

* * *

The first ten minutes of the train ride were spent trying to get Edd to sit still. Every two seconds he hopped up to point out the workings of the engine, the meanings of the signs they passed, or share some other miniscule fact. Finally, Kevin pulled him onto his lap and silenced him with a kiss. Edd blushed and squirmed but didn’t move away, nestled comfortably in Kevin’s arms. They chatted about school and baseball and Jim the cactus, watching the scenery slowly roll by. When a break in the trees revealed a beautiful view of Lookout Mountain, Kevin gently turned Edd to face the window.

“Look, up there,” he said, pointing. “See that clearing? My family owns a cabin right up there. My dad used to take me there a lot on camping trips, before he got too busy for me.” He hugged Edd around the waist. “Someday I want to make it back up there and fix up the cabin. It holds a lot of really great memories for me.”

Edd watched as Kevin lost himself in his thoughts, staring up in the direction of the cabin even after the trees obscured the view again. He wondered what was going on under that red baseball cap. It wasn’t often that he saw anything but happiness or anger cross Kevin’s eyes. This wistfulness…it bordered on sadness.

“Hey,” Edd said softly.

He took Kevin’s face gently into his hands as if it were his most precious possession. A warm feeling grew in his chest as he realized that perhaps that sentiment was true, but he shoved it away. He could analyze his feelings later. At this moment, the only thing that mattered was chasing that look from Kevin’s eyes. He pressed in for a kiss, brushing their lips together shyly, still not used to initiating contact. When Kevin was unresponsive, Edd took his lower lip in his teeth and pulled gently, pleading to be let in. Eyes wide, he watched for a response, waiting for permission. Kevin’s eyes soften and his lips twitched up into a smile: permission granted.

Edd kissed him with fervor, sliding his tongue into Kevin’s mouth. He had never had control of the situation, but it was exciting. He explored Kevin’s mouth with his tongue, thoroughly enjoying the way Kevin was following his lead. When they broke apart for air, they were both panting. Kevin’s eyes glowed with affection as he leaned in to steal another kiss, but when he pulled away that familiar glint of mischief was back.

“You know,” he said, pressing his forehead to Edd’s, “In a few minutes they’re going to let everyone off to tour the repair shop.”

“Oh, yes!” Edd clapped his hands together. “They are currently restoring a beautiful old dining car. They had a flyer about it on the display board.”

“I don’t think you understand what I’m telling you, dork.” He leaned in and ran his fingers down Edd’s chest. “Everyone…” His hand slid under Edd’s shirt. “…is going…” Edd gasped as Kevin gave a tug to the waist of his jeans. “…to be gone.”

He sat back and admired his work. Edd’s face was red and he was flustered, wringing his hands together as he squirmed. A discreet glance down confirmed that Edd was turned on and sealed the deal for Kevin. He scooped the boy up and carried him bridal style toward the bathrooms at the back of the car. He set Edd down on the narrow counter and locked the door. He fitted himself between Edd’s legs, scooting forward until he was pressed against the counter before pulling Edd in to close the gap. They met at the mouth again, this time with urgency, sparks of desire running through their bodies. Kevin took charge once again, to Edd’s relief, his hands firm and sure. Edd slid his hands up under Kevin’s hat and let it fall to the floor so he could run his fingers through the fiery hair. Kevin’s fingers traced Edd’s ribs under his shirt, leaving tingling trails along the thin frame. He moved up and down slowly, swiping his thumbs across the nipples whenever he could reach. Edd shudder and gasped. He wrapped his legs around Kevin and pulled him even closer.

Kevin took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Edd’s thighs and lift him up off of the counter. He turned to press him into the door, deepening their kisses. When the train started moving again, Kevin stumbled and Edd had to put his hand out to steady them. They laughed quietly together, pressing their foreheads together. Kevin kissed the crinkle on Edd’s nose and suddenly the boy’s face was very serious.

“Kevin, I need to tell you now that you are very special and important to me. And I…I trust you.” Edd blushed red, looking down.

The sight was too cute to resist, and Kevin shoved him up against the door again. Later, when they were alone in Edd’s bedroom, he would think about the implications of Edd’s confession of trust, but right now he just wanted those sweet lips on his. He nibbled on Edd’s lip, drawing a groan out of the flushed boy. He lazily trailed kisses down his pale neck, up and down and up again. Breathy moans escaped from Edd. Kevin smiled against his collarbone; the great genius Edd, reduced to inarticulate moans and gasps at _his_ hands. He could hardly stand it.

“Edd,” he whispered.

“Yes?” Edd whimpered.

“I…”

The lock on the door clicked and suddenly they were falling. Kevin landed heavily on Edd. Edd let out a soft groan, pushing against Kevin’s chest. The red-head sat up quickly, grabbing Edd’s wrist to pull him up as well. He looked up at the intruder. The tour guide stared down at them, his face mildly amused. Edd’s face was red from embarrassment. Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. The tour guide cleared his throat.

“Are you going to stand up or have your way with him right here in the aisle?”

Edd squeaked in surprise at the comment. “I-I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused—”

“Dude, chill.” The guide turned to Kevin. “Is he always like this?”

“Pretty much.” Kevin stood and dusted himself off. He reached out to Edd and helped him up as well. “Sorry for making out in the bathroom.”

“I couldn’t care less, but let me give you some advice. First, if you’re going to do that in public, make sure there won’t be people, like tour guides, looking for a headcount. Second, don’t be an idiot and make out against a door that opens outward.”

“Got it,” Kevin said, giving a mock salute. “We’ll be on our way, then. Come on, Double D.”

Edd took Kevin’s hand and let him lead them back to their seats. He sat down next to Kevin and pulled his hat down over his eyes. Kevin laughed and threw an arm around his shoulders. When they arrived back at the museum, the tour guide made a point of winking at Edd, causing him to blush yet again. Kevin had a hard time keeping his hands off of the boy, but Edd was having none of it. Public affection was officially banned; the bus ride home was pure torture. When they finally arrived home and Edd invited him inside, Kevin was about ready to implode. Surprisingly, it was Edd who pushed the other up against the door. He kicked his shoes off while his tongue explored Kevin’s neck. Kevin lifted him up again and moved blindly toward the stairs. Halfway up, he tripped, catching himself in time to keep Edd from falling. Their lips never broke contact. They paused on the stairs, Edd sitting on a step while Kevin pushed into him. They broke contact for a few short seconds during which shirts were removed in a flurry of motion. Hands fumbled, desperate for a touch. Edd groaned into Kevin’s mouth and Kevin groaned right back. Finally, mercifully, they made it up the stairs and onto Edd’s bed.

Fifteen minutes later, Kevin’s mouth was doing things that could only be described as “filthy, filthy, filthy,” and Edd was screaming.


	22. Bonus Chapter

“ _Finally, mercifully, they made it up the stairs and onto Edd’s bed_ …”

 

“Edd.”

“Yes?”

“Earlier, on the train, you said you trust me, right?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean…?”

“Yes, Kevin.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really sure?”

“ _Yes_.”

“We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

“For the love of god, Kevin! Just touch me already!”

“Alright, alright! Keep your pants on. Actually, on second thought, don’t keep your pants on.”

“That would be helpful, wouldn’t it.”

“Hey, shut your sarcastic mouth.”

“Make me.”

“You’re sassy when you’re horny.”

“Mmm…”

 

“Babe?”

“Hmm?”

“You know I love to kiss you, but you’re gonna have to let go of my face eventually. There’s only so much I can do with my hand…”

“O-Oh! Of course. My apologie-IES! K-Kevin! Good lord…ahhh…”

“Oh, you like that, huh? Oh, look at the time. I really should be going.”

“Kevin, you tease! Don’t you dare!”

“Ow, ow, stop it! Hahaha, jeez…”

“This is no laughing matter! I am already embarrassed enough without your jokes.”

“Okay, I’m sorry, baby. Hey, Edd?”

“What is it n-AHHH, KEVIN! Oh…oh, my…mmm…ahh…Kevin…”

“Mmmhmm…”

 

“K-Kev-ah!-vin, I don’t think I can…mfph…”

“Don’t hide it, babe. I want to hear you.”

“Alright…Ah! Ahhh…y-yes! That! Whatever you are doing feels a-amAZING! AHH, KEVIN! K-NNNN! I…I can’t…”

“Go ahead, sweetheart. Come for me. Please?”

“Nnnn…! Ah-ahhh! KEVIIIN!”

 

“… _Fifteen minutes later, Kevin’s mouth was doing things that could only be described as ‘filthy, filthy, filthy,’ and Edd was screaming_.”


	23. Chapter 22

“Merry Christmas!”

Nazz greeted Kevin with a hug, dragging him into the house. He laughed, hugged her back, and ruffled her hair. The house was decked out in lights and plastic decorations. Her house was always the most festive in the cul-de-sac, and she was proud of it. This year was the first year that her extended family wasn’t coming for the holidays, so her parents gave her permission to throw a Christmas Eve party for her friends around the cul-de-sac. As her best friend, Kevin naturally was roped into helping set up. He was glad to help; he hadn’t seen much of Nazz lately and he missed her.

“So how’s it been, Nazz?” he asked.

She passed him a box of ornaments and shrugged. “It’s been alright. School sucks, you know?”

He nodded. “I hear you.”

“So…” she began. She pulled out a few ornaments and hung them on the tree. “How’s it going with Double D?”

“Good.”

Nazz gave him a look that could curdle milk. “Details, dude! I need details!”

“Jeez! Fine! But there isn’t much to tell. We just chill at his house and watch movies and do homework and shit. We went on a date a couple months ago, but I already told you about that. And that’s it.”

“God, you’re the most boring couple I’ve ever heard of.”

“Hey, what else are we supposed to do? Well, then, what about you, huh? You got a boyfriend?”

Nazz blushed and looked away. “N-No! Of course not.”

He laughed and pushed her playfully. “Duh. You would’ve told me.”

She laughed nervously, her face twisted into an odd expression. “Right.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask her about it, but the doorbell rang. _Saved by the bell_ , he thought wryly. He began placing ornaments on the tree himself as Nazz went to get the door. She sounded surprised but invited the visitor in. Kevin didn’t bother turning around; he knew Rolf was planning on helping out as well, once his chores were finished. He reached behind him and pointed at the floor

“Hey, Rolf, hand me that string of lights, would you?”

Two hands, one holding the end of the lights, reached around Kevin in a tight hug. Kevin’s face lit up and he whirled around, nearly spilling the box of ornaments. Ignoring Nazz’s complaint, he threw his free arm around his boyfriend.

“Edd! I didn’t know you were coming so early. What are you doing here?”

Edd smiled and laughed, sticking his tongue between the gap in his teeth. “I thought I might surprise you. Nazz knows we are a couple, and it will be nice for a little while to not worry about our actions.”

Kevin frowned slightly. He knew it bothered Edd to keep their relationship hidden. “Yeah, I guess it will be…”

“Besides!” Edd replaced the sad look on his face with a cheerful one. “I brought a cake for the party, and I need Nazz’s wonderful artistic abilities to assist in decorating it.”

“Oh, you flatter me!” Nazz waved him away. She picked up the cake box. “Come on, let’s take it to the kitchen. It’s still a little warm, so we should wait to decorate it. Why don’t you stay here and decorate the tree, Edd? I need Kevin’s help with something, and he’s doing an awful job of it anyway.”

Kevin passed the box to Edd and kissed his forehead before following Nazz into the kitchen. She placed the cake on the counter among the other snacks she had set out. She had Kevin begin to pour the punch out and mix it with some lemon-lime soda. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Edd was out of earshot and leaned over the counter.

“He’s so cute!” she squealed. “You gotta tell me, what did you get him for Christmas?”

Kevin blushed. When he said it out loud, it sounded so…cheesy. “I’m gonna come out. To the rest of the cul-de-sac. I know it’s been bothering him, but I’m too scared to do it at school. I don’t want him to get hurt. But I know you guys aren’t like that. So I figured I could at least give the dork some peace of mind while we’re at home. You know?”

He spoke quickly and quietly, staring down at the counter. When he finished, there was silence. Concerned, he looked up sharply. Nazz bounced up and down with her hands pressed over her mouth. Her eyes were screwed shut and her face was turning red. Kevin became aware of a faint squealing sound, but he wasn’t sure it wasn’t just in his head. He looked around for the source distractedly, making it all the worse when Nazz burst out in a high scream. Kevin jumped, banging his knee on a stool, and yelped. A loud crash echoed from the living room and Edd came hurtling around the corner, grabbing at the doorway to stop himself from slipping on the linoleum.

“What’s wrong?” he gasped. He yelled in protest when Nazz swept him up into a bone-crushing hug. “Nazz! What on earth has gotten into you? Put me down at once!”

Squealing, she dragged him across the kitchen and shoved him at Kevin. “You two are so cute!” she shrieked. The doorbell rang, causing Edd to jump in Kevin’s arms. “Oh! That must be Rolf! I’ll leave you two alone, then.” She winked and ran toward the front hall.

Edd stood close to Kevin, thoroughly confused. It wasn’t often that he didn’t understand what was going on, and he quite disliked the feeling. When Kevin began to laugh, Edd frowned.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,” he said grumpily. He crossed his arms and glared up at Kevin. He intercepted a kiss with his hand, deflecting it away from his mouth. “Would you care to explain what just happened?”

“I’ll tell you if you kiss me,” Kevin replied coyly.

“Fine.” Edd leaned in for a quick peck. “Now tell me.”

Kevin gently turned Edd’s head to the side so he could whisper in his ear. “It’s a secret.”

The redhead danced away from Edd’s reach, laughter ringing through the kitchen. Edd tailed him around the table in the kitchen for a few beats before lunging. He barely missed catching Kevin’s shirt. They faced off across the table. When Kevin went left, Edd shadowed him. What the boy lacked in basic athleticism he made up for in speed and agility, and on the rare occasion that Kevin had provoked him to the point of retaliation, he’d proven himself a formidable opponent, much to Kevin’s delight. Kevin feigned left and dashed to the right. Edd anticipated his movements, noticing the shift in Kevin’s weight distribution, and shot off to his left, catching Kevin before he could fix his mistake.

“Ha!” Edd cried triumphantly as they fell. He straddled the jock, pinning Kevin’s wrists down with his knees. “Now,” he began. He walked his middle and index fingers up Kevin’s chest, looking up through his eyelashes. “I believe you owe me an explanation.”

“I’ll never tell!” Kevin laughed. He loved this version of Edd; it took all of his willpower to not flip him over and ravish his body in Nazz’s kitchen.

Edd leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of Kevin’s head. “Oh, but I think you will,” he breathed. He nibbled at Kevin’s ear and exhaled softly.

Kevin shuddered. He couldn’t help himself. _Curse you and your ability to remember all of my weak spots_ , he thought. He took a shaky breath and grinned. “I have a secret weapon.”

“Oh?” Edd murmured against the hollow of Kevin’s neck. “I think you’re bluffing.”

Kevin shrugged. “Suit yourself. Hey, Rolf! Come here, I need your help in the kitchen!”

Faster than he should have been able to, Edd was on his feet and walking into the living room. Kevin laughed and sat up. He greeted Rolf and the pair worked on setting out the snacks. In the living room, Edd helped Nazz with the Christmas tree and put the final touches on the decorations. He asked Kevin and Rolf to help them move the boxes back into the attic. By the time they finished putting everything away, Ed and Eddy had arrived, followed closely by Sarah and Jimmy. Jonny was nowhere to be seen, but according to Nazz he wasn’t likely to show. Rolf headed straight for the CD player, as usual, and popped in a holiday disc. Nazz announced that the party had begun. After loading up on snacks from the kitchen, the group of teens gathered in the living room.

“Ok, dudes!” Nazz began. “We all drew names a week ago to find out who we were getting a gift for. I hope you all remembered—” she shot a look in Eddy’s direction and he held his hands up defensively “—and put some thought into this. Let’s all take turns handing them out so we can all see who gets what. Okay?”

Everyone nodded and Rolf stood first. He stepped up to Ed and handed him a very thin package. The big teenager tore the paper off to reveal a photograph of a small and fluffy chick. He squealed.

“It’s a chicken! I love chickens!”

“I know, tall Ed-boy. Her name is Gertrude, like my Nana’s first midwife. Any time you wish to come see her you just tell Rolf, yes?” Rolf reached out to ruffle Ed’s hair before returning to his seat on the couch.

Ed tucked the picture carefully into his jacket pocket and smiled widely to himself. Jimmy’s turn was next. He took out a small box and reached down to set it in Sarah’s lap. She looked startled for a second and then grinned. She opened the box to reveal a shiny pair of earrings. She thanked Jimmy profusely, hugging his leg. She turned and tossed a small packet at Edd. He caught it with some difficulty, shooting a dirty look at a laughing Kevin. He opened it while Sarah slid the earrings into her ears.

“Oh! A scalpel set! How thoughtful!” He flashed a smile.

“Yeah, you know. Thought you could use it to dissect something or whatever it is you do for fun.” Sarah shrugged and returned the smile.

“My turn!” Ed shouted. He deposited a poorly wrapped bundle in Jimmy’s lap. “Merry Christmas, Jimmy!”

Gingerly, Jimmy worked the wrapping off to reveal a stack of comics. His eyes lit up as he flipped through the pages. “How did you know I like Batman?”

“You told me once, and an elephant never forgets!”

“Thank you, Ed!”

“You’re welcome! It’s Eddy’s turn now!”

“Yeah, yeah, calm down, will you?”

Eddy lazily threw a small, round box like a frisbee at Kevin’s face. He caught it, rolling his eyes. He slid the lid off, peeked inside, and slammed it shut again. He glared at Eddy through slit eyes, cheeks coloring red. Eddy nearly fell off the couch laughing. Edd slid a hand over discreetly and lifted the lid just enough to catch a glimpse of the hot pink handcuffs before Kevin snatched it away.

“Your turn, dork,” he muttered, looking away.

Edd swallowed hard, willing the heat in his face to dissipate. He crossed the room and handed a gift bag to Rolf. “I do hope it is an acceptable gift. I wasn’t sure what sort of thing you would like, but I know you like to sit under the tree in your backyard, and I thought it might be nice to have a bird feeder there so you can watch them while you relax.”

Rolf pulled out the small container. It looked like a little house with slots at the bottom for the birdseed to rest. “Ah, yes! Thank you, smart Ed-boy. Nana will be pleased like the pigs at the time of slop.”

Edd flashed a smile and sat down, looking toward Kevin expectantly. Careful to keep the box with the handcuffs out of Edd’s reach, Kevin reached behind the couch and pulled out two narrow strips of paper that he’d hidden under the couch. He handed them to Nazz. She screamed and threw her arms around him.

“Tickets to see Frenzy in concert? How did you get these?” she asked.

“My dad knows the manager of the venue. Don’t expect me to take you, though. You gotta find someone else. I can’t stand that shit you call music.” Kevin tousled her hair playfully and pushed her off. “Your turn, blondie.”

“Oh, Eddy! I completely forgot to wrap your present. I was too busy setting up for the party. How about I bring it by your house later tonight?” Her eyes sparkled as Eddy flushed and nodded, trying to play it off. “Great! Well, that’s everyone…oh! Wait, there is one more.” She looked at Kevin meaningfully.

The redhead swallowed and wiped his palms on his jeans. He stood up, ignoring Edd’s questioning gaze. “So, you guys are my best friends, right? We’ve always been here for each other. And we’ve always accepted each other.” He caught Eddy’s eye and laughed. “Well, almost always. I trust you, and so there’s something that I’d like to tell you.”

He turned around and held his hand out to Edd. The pale boy took it, cheeks pink and an eyebrow raised in disbelief. As soon as Edd was on his feet, Kevin yanked him forward and dipped him toward the floor. Their eyes locked in a silent conversation, Edd wondering if he was sure and Kevin assuring him that he was, and then Kevin kissed him, softly and passionately. Jimmy gasped and Rolf let out an exclamation that nobody understood. Nazz and Ed cheered, and soon the others joined in. Eddy even allowed them a few sarcastic claps. After several long and glorious seconds, Edd broke away, panting. He felt that his face would crack in two if he smiled any harder. His chest felt tight with emotion. Everybody knew now; they didn’t have to hide anymore. He felt loved and cared for; his friends’ acceptance meant more to him than he thought it would.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend, Edd.” Kevin gestured grandly at Edd. Edd flushed and waved him away.

Nazz gave them each a quick hug and then announced it was time for Christmas cartoons and cake. Jimmy and Sarah set up the TV while Nazz slathered some pre-made frosting onto the cake and cut it up. When everyone had a piece, the lights were turned off, and the cartoons started, Kevin reached out for Edd’s hand, pulling him closer. In the dim light of the TV, Eddy and Nazz watched their best friends link hands. Glancing up at each other, they shared a knowing look before Eddy made a gagging noise and she giggled. _Merry Christmas,_ she mouthed. Eddy smiled and nodded once, turning his attention back to the TV.

* * *

“So what did Eddy get you for Christmas, Kevin?”

Their feet crunched on the snow as they walked along the edge of the creek. Kevin felt the handcuffs press against him in his back pocket and he blushed. Edd raised an eyebrow. He lifted his hand and pointed up at the sky, drawing Kevin’s attention, and quickly darted his other hand into Kevin’s pocket. He hooked a finger around the metal ring and pulled.

“Hey!” Kevin protested.

He lunged for them, but Edd took a few quick steps back. He inspected the handcuffs, turning them over in his hands. He thought for a few moments and nodded to himself as he reached a decision. He slid them into his pocket, smiling innocently at Kevin.

“You know, I seem to be quite awake considering the late hour,” he mused. “And it is getting quite chilly. Perhaps we should return to my home and…warm up.”

Kevin caught the message and grinned. He took Edd’s hand in his and ran, pulling Edd along. They laughed together when Kevin fell into a snow drift, Edd surging ahead to take the lead. They arrive breathless at the door, stumbling through and shedding coats and shoes in the front hall. Kevin reached for Edd, but the dork skipped away, backing up the stairs with a coy smile on his lips. Not one to back down from a challenge, Kevin took the stairs two at a time and caught Edd at the bedroom door. He kissed him, backing him up until they fell onto the bed together. Shirts flew off, quickly followed by jeans. Edd snagged the handcuffs from his back pocket as Kevin eased the pants off over his hips. Seizing an opportunity, he jumped up, straddled his boyfriend, and snapped the handcuff shut around Kevin’s right wrist. Kevin’s eyes widened. Edd hesitated.

“Is this alright?” he asked softly.

Kevin nodded, holding his breath. Edd released a sigh and smiled. He pulled Kevin’s hands up to the bedpost and fastened the other end of the handcuffs, ensuring that Kevin was trapped. The thought made him giddy with lust. He ducked his head down to kiss and nip at the broad chest. He sucked a few marks into the skin around the collarbones. Kevin moaned, pulling gently at the restraints. Edd moved his attention to Kevin’s nipples and slid a hand beneath the band of Kevin’s boxers. Soft fingers ghosted across the skin, drawing elongated shudders from the redhead. Edd moved up for a kiss and bit down on his lower lip. He wrapped his fingers around the shaft and began to stroke, brushing his thumb over the tip with each pump. Kevin writhed underneath him, groaning and pulling at the handcuffs. Edd rarely held any amount of dominance in their relationship, and he drank in the powerful feeling greedily. His hand began to move faster, his kisses more urgent. Kevin bucked up against his hand. Edd could feel the warmth radiate from this perfect body. He pressed himself closer, burying his face in Kevin’s neck. Kevin panted as he neared his climax. Edd captured his lips with a kiss, slipping his tongue in to explore the roof of Kevin’s mouth. He bit down on Kevin’s lip as the redhead came, relishing the sound of Kevin’s cry.

His movements slowed and came to a stop. Edd pulled his hand out and wiped it gingerly on Kevin’s boxers. _Filthy, filthy, filthy…_ Reaching down for his jeans, Edd removed the key from his pocket and released Kevin’s wrists. Immediately he was wrapped up in a hug. Kevin buried his face in Edd’s hat, breathing deeply. He tested a phrase out in his mouth, letting the words roll around on his tongue for a moment before speaking.

“Hey, Edd?”

“Mmm…yes?”

Kevin paused, kissing the top of Edd’s head before speaking softly. “I…I love you.”

Edd froze, unwilling to believe the words that he had just heard. “P-Pardon?”

“You heard me, dork. I said…I love you.”

“I…” The words caught in his throat. He was not used to that phrase. He knew he was loved, of course. Ed and Eddy loved him very dearly, he was sure, but they never told him as much. His parents certainly weren’t around to say it. To hear it said so plainly, so simply…it made him want to cry. “Kevin, please…say it again.”

“I love you.”

Edd considered carefully before responding with every conviction he had, “I l-love you, too.”


	24. Chapter 23

_It’ll be fine, he said. No one will even notice, he said. You can just blend into the crowd like you usually do, you cute little wallflower, he said._ Edd hunched down even further into his seat. _I should have trusted my instincts. No, this has nothing to do with instincts. I knew for a fact this would happen._

It was a bright, sunny day. The weather was perfect. A cool breeze cut through the stands. Birds chittered away, happily picking at crumbs and bits of food left behind by careless students. The baseball team seemed to be in high spirits, joking around and laughing while they warmed up and stretched. Students milled around chatting about the possibility of a second year at the state championships, eating snacks with little to no nutritional value, and shooting death glares at the skinny boy cowering in the far corner.

Edd knew this would happen. Never mind the fact that he had not actually been involved in last year’s laxative prank. He was beginning to resent the fact that he was forever associated with Eddy’s antics. He stared down at his hands clenched in his lap and tried to keep his face from turning red. He felt the stares, heard the whispers, and honestly it frightened him. He knew the basics of self-defense, but those techniques would only work on one assailant, maybe two, at a time, and from the looks of things he would have a lot more than one. The tension in his shoulders was beginning to hurt. _This is not good for my health…_ A girl brushed his knee as she passed and he let out a muffled scream, jumping back. _…or my sanity._ He pulled his hat down to hide his embarrassment as the students around him snickered. A hand fell on his shoulder and he prayed to whatever god might be listening that it would be over quickly.

"Dude, are you ok?”

Edd’s breath flew out of him in a gasp. “Nazz! You cannot comprehend how glad I am to see you right now!”

“I think I can, actually. What are you doing here?” She took the seat next to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulder. “Half the student body wants to murder you for your prank last year—”

“That wasn’t my prank!”

“Fine, Eddy’s prank. And if the baseball team catches you here…”

“I know, but Kevin really wanted me to come. He seemed to think that no one would notice my presence.”

“He’s an idiot.” She glanced at Edd and shrugged. “No offense.”

“No, he is an idiot,” Edd agreed. _My idiot._

“And you came here by yourself? I mean, I know Eddy and Ed wouldn’t dare show their faces here, but you really couldn’t find anybody to come with you?”

Edd gave her a crooked smile. “I don’t have anyone else,” he said softly. His eyes moved from her pitying expression to the field. “Oh! The game is starting! I don’t want to keep you from your friends, Nazz.”

“Are you sure, Double D? I don’t mind sitting here with you.”

“I am sure. I appreciate your concern, but I’m certain I’ll be fine.” He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Go enjoy yourself. Perhaps I’ll see you after the game.”

“For sure, dude.” She gave him a quick side hug and stood. “See you later, Double D!”

Edd waved as she trotted down the stairs and out of sight. He set his elbow on his knee, leaning down to rest his chin on his hand. He watched Kevin for a while, slowly relaxing as the students forgot about him in favor of the game. It was a close one. Edd found himself more and more engrossed as the scores changed. By the time the final inning began, Peach Creek had pulled far enough ahead that Edd felt confident that taking a quick trip to the restroom wouldn’t cause him to miss anything important. He trotted down the bleachers, keeping to the far edge to avoid being pushed or tripped. At the bottom he took a sharp turn to head back toward the school building. As he rounded the corner, he was suddenly hit hard in the stomach. He staggered, doubled over and gasping for breath.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is, boys!”

A handful of junior varsity baseball players stood in front of him, smiling maliciously. The boy in front—Jake, Edd thought his name was—stepped forward and threw an arm around Edd’s shoulders, pressing down. Edd was trapped.

“How’re you doing, dork?” he asked.

Edd didn’t respond. Jake let out a soft sigh before turning to drive his knee into Edd’s gut. Edd fell to the ground with a grunt, coughing as he tried not to vomit. Jake squatted down beside him and shook his head.

“I asked you a question,” he said, his voice low and threatening.

“I-I’m doing quite well, thanks for asking,” Edd wheezed. _Shut up, you moron! This is not the time for sarcasm!_ He moved to stand, but a swift elbow to the chin sent him sprawling again.

“I don’t think I like your attitude,” Jake said. His friends laughed as he shook his head. “Such a shame. Where are you heading? Maybe we can give you a lift.”

“N-Nowhere.” Edd’s jaw popped as he spoke. He grimaced at the pain.

Suddenly Jake was on top of him, knees digging into his shoulders. Edd knew better than to struggle. It would only make Jake angry, and he wouldn’t be able to escape anyway. He clenched his jaw and breathed heavily through his nose, trying to keep the fear from showing on his face.

“And now you’re lying to me. I expected more from a teacher’s pet. Let’s try this again. Where are you going?” He leaned forward, shifting his weight onto his knees.

Edd let out a small whimper. “Restroom,” he said quickly. He gasped in relief as the pressure was removed from his shoulders.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Jake smiled innocently. “I could use a bathroom break. What about you, fellows?”

Edd was yanked to his feet and shoved forward. The players surrounded him, pushing and tripping him as they went along. When they reached the restrooms, each of his arms was grabbed tightly. Jake locked the door behind them.

“There, nice and private.” He waved a hand toward the urinals. “Go on, then.”

Edd paled. “N-No, that’s quite alright. I’m fine.”

“No, no!” Jake said innocently. “You said you were coming to the restroom. I assumed you needed to take a piss.” He pushed Edd forward. “Don’t worry, we’ll wait.”

Edd stood still, arms folded in close to his body, tears welling up in his eyes. He felt a foot press on his back and he stumbled forward, barely managing to catch himself from hitting his face on the wall. He shook his head, his hands trembling. Fear settled in the pit of his stomach, making him sick. He shook his head again, over and over.

“What, now you’re being shy?” Jake asked. His voice echoed off the tile and Edd flinched. “You sure weren’t being shy about staring at Kevin.”

Edd froze as the fear leapt up from his stomach to clench around his heart. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his voice shaking.

“Oh,” Jake spoke from just behind Edd, “I think you do.”

Edd turned around, looking down at his shoes, his mind racing. “Why would I be staring at Kevin?”

“Oh, we all know the answer to that, don’t we?”

Panic flooded Edd’s mind. _They know? They couldn’t possibly know! How?_ “W-Well, I’m afraid I don’t know. Please, enlighten me.”

Jake grabbed the front of Edd’s shirt and shoved him back into the wall. “Because you’re a little fag.” The other players laughed, moving in on them. “Well, I’ve got news for you, dork. Kevin doesn’t swing that way, and he definitely doesn’t hang out with fags like you. So keep your eyes to yourself.”

Edd nearly laughed in relief. _They don’t know. This is about me. I can handle this._ The next words out of his mouth were perfectly calculated to draw any remaining attention away from Kevin and onto himself. “Gentlemen, please. Don’t be alarmed. I was merely attempting to determine how a group of boys with such low intellect could possibly grasp the complex physics involved in the game of baseball.”

He closed his eyes, anticipating the fist that smashed into his cheek as an angry roar filled the small room. Jake grabbed him around the throat and slammed his head back into the tile. Stars filled his vision and he scrabbled at Jake’s hands, gasping for breath.

“What did you call us?” Jake growled.

Edd couldn’t help himself. “I believe I called you unintelligent,” he croaked.

“That’s what I thought,” Jake said with a grin.

He threw Edd to the floor and cracked his knuckles. “Hear that, boys? He thinks you’re stupid.”

A barrage of kicks flew at Edd from all sides. He curled up and covered his head with his hands. A heavy shoe caught him just below his left eye, snapping his head back. When he rolled onto his back, the players took full advantage of his exposed abdomen. He couldn’t stop the cries that tore from him, screaming as a particularly vicious blow hit him in the ribs. Jake slapped his hand over Edd’s mouth, pressing down hard. Edd tried not to think about how dirty that hand might be.

“Shh. We don’t want anyone to find us before you’ve learned your lesson, now, would we?”


	25. Chapter 24

Kevin was beginning to get irritated. Edd was there a second ago, he was sure of it. He might have even waved at one point. Why would he leave right before they won the game? Kevin risked another glance at the stands: big mistake. The ball whistled by his ear and he didn’t even react.

“Strike one!”

Kevin flinched and glanced over at the dugout. The coach was staring at him like he had tentacles sprouting from his ears. He wrinkled his nose and exhaled sharply. _Focus._ The pitch came fast and low, and he missed it by a mile.

“Strike two!”

He began to sweat. This was so unlike him and everyone knew it. He could feel the stares of his coach, his teammates, his classmates, even the other team. For what felt like the first time in his life he was nervous, but…for some reason, he didn’t think it was the game that he was nervous about. He didn’t have time to worry about it at the moment, however. He gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to the game.

“Strike three! You’re out!”

The call rang across the field, ending the game in Peach Creek’s favor, but nobody moved. _Did…did I just strike out?_ Kevin felt the bat drop from his hands, clattering to the ground. The noise startled him. He looked over at the stands, searching for the gap-toothed smile that would tell him everything was alright. He didn’t find it. He locked eyes with Nazz. She pointed back toward the school building. He could see a crease in her brow, as if she were worried. She held up her wrist and tapped it, biting her lip. Something wasn’t right. Kevin took a deep breath, forced a smile, and turned back to his waiting teammates.

“What are you guys doing?” he shouted. “We won!”

His exclamation broke the spell. The students in the bleachers began to cheer as the team flooded the field, hugging and high-fiving. Kevin felt himself jostled into the middle of the group, vaguely aware that he was being comforted for his strike-out. He shook his head, waving them off with a smile. After a lengthy celebration on the field, the team packed up and headed back to the locker rooms. Kevin texted Nazz to ask her to look for Edd. She gave him a thumbs-up from across the stadium and took off running. After a quick shower, Kevin parted ways with the team, passing on their offer of post-game pizza at Matt’s house.

“Dude, what? You’re passing up pizza? Are you sick or something?” Matt asked.

Kevin smiled. “Something like that.” He left through the back door and found Nazz waiting for him, leaning up against the wall.

“Did you find him?” he asked, pulling her in for a hug.

“No,” she replied. “It looks like everyone’s gone home. I looked everywhere except the boys’ bathroom. It’s out of order.”

Kevin wrinkled his brow in confusion. “It wasn’t out of order before the game. I wonder what happened. Probably some stupid prank.” Together they began walking toward the student parking lot.

“Well, don’t blame the Eds. Double D was here alone. By the way, you’re an idiot for thinking that no one would notice him. Poor kid had nearly passed out by the time I found him.”

“Oh.” Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. “My bad. I wonder if he just got overwhelmed and went home.”

“I’m sure that’s it. Why don’t you give him a call? He’ll be super excited that you won. Well, my parents are probably sick of waiting for me.” She kissed him on the cheek and took off. “Later, dude!”

Kevin waved at her and shook his head. _She’s right. He probably just wanted to avoid the crowd. Why am I worried?_ He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one with the little heart next to it. He pressed the green button and held the phone to his ear, waiting for the ring as he passed by the bathrooms. Very faintly, the sound of Edd’s dorky Mozart ringtone made its way to his ears. He stopped and looked around.

“Edd?” he called out.

He didn’t get a response, but the ringtone kept playing. He strained to hear it, following it toward the bathrooms with a sinking feeling in his gut. _No, no, no…_ He paused to examine the “out of order” sign. It was handwritten on the back of a flyer, hastily taped to the door as an afterthought. Everything about it screamed trouble. He pressed a hand to the door, flinching at the loud creak that came from the rusty hinges. He shut the door softly behind him, turning the lock just in case. The ringtone had stopped.

“Babe? You in here?”

The room appeared deserted, but it didn’t feel right. Fear gripped his heart. He was almost too scared to look, but a muffled moan had him flying across to the far stall. He threw the door open and froze. His breath stuck in his throat. Edd sat on the toilet, his head hanging and his hair obscuring his face. His hands were duct taped to the toilet seat and his ankles were bound together. His clothing was disheveled and torn in places. Kevin could see little drops of blood down the front of Edd’s shirt. The word “fag” was written in tape on the wall above him. Kevin took a step forward, reaching out with a shaking hand.

“Edd…”

At the sound of his name, Edd looked up. The movement sent a wave of pain rushing through his head and he groaned. Kevin stared at him. His cheek was swollen and bruised. A second bruise was blooming across his forehead. A thin cut ran from bridge of his nose to his earlobe, and sticky blood—the result of a nosebleed—dried in two lines down his chin and neck. His eyes seemed glazed over and out of focus. A strip of tape was pressed firmly over his mouth. Edd began to whimper around it.

Kevin stumbled forward and fell to his knees in front of Edd. His mind had stopped functioning. He reached up a tentative hand and began to peel the tape back from Edd’s mouth. He watched in horror as spots of skin from his lips came with it, beads of blood bubbling to the surface and spilling over onto Edd’s chin. He stopped, but Edd shook his head.

“Just do it quickly,” Edd gasped. “Like a bandaid.”

Kevin shut his eyes and held his breath as he tore the tape away. Edd clenched his jaw shut to stifle his scream. His tongue darted out to lick at his lower lip and he winced, tasting blood. Kevin set his forehead on Edd’s knees and blindly began working at the tape around his ankles. Edd sucked in shaky breaths above him.

“K-Kevin, my apologies, but I seem to be dripping…dripping blood on your hat. Perhaps you should sit up,” he said softly.

Kevin looked up sharply, and Edd flinched. Kevin went for his bag and pulled out his keys. He used the serrated edge to saw at the tape. Within second he had ripped the tape away from Edd’s legs and moved on to his hands. His anger began to well up inside of him and he cut at the tape with hard, jerky motions. Edd bit the inside of his cheek and hissed when the key grazed the side of his hand, breaking the skin. Kevin looked up, an apology in his eyes, and focused on controlling his movements. He ripped at the last few threads in the tape, freeing Edd’s hands. Edd immediately ran for the sink and began scrubbing his hands viciously.

“Filthy, filthy, filthy,” he said, his voice cracking. He didn’t notice that he was crying until the cut on his cheek began to sting.

“Edd,” Kevin said from behind.

Edd paused and turned to find Kevin on his knees, leaning up against the stall door. The redhead stared down at his shaking hands, tears trailing down to his chin before dripping to the floor.

“Edd, I’m so—”

Kevin’s voice caught in his throat, the sentence ending in a strangled sob. He curled his hands into fists and slammed one of them into the wall. Edd jumped and took a few steps back. Kevin punched the wall again, and again, and Edd began to sob. He dropped beside Kevin and wrapped his fingers around his fist. Kevin looked at him, eyes red, and pulled him in, holding him close as they cried. He ran his fingers through dark hair, trying desperately to sooth the hurt.

“W-Wait, Edd, where is your hat?” he asked, hiccupping.

Edd waved his hand toward the urinals where his hat lay soaked in urine. Kevin gently pulled Edd onto his lap and tucked his head under his chin. The hug was too tight, hurting the bruises on his sides, but Edd didn’t care. He clung to Kevin like a lifeline.

“Edd, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to come. This is all my fault.” His voice cut out as another sob racked his body. “I should’ve been here for you. I fucked up. I fucked up, Edd. I’m sorry.”

Edd tightened his arms around Kevin’s waist. “It’s alright, Kevin.”

“No! Don’t you fucking dare! Don’t you… You’re so good to me, Edd. How can you be so good? Look at you! You’re a fucking mess! You should be crying. You’re the one who’s hurt. I’m supposed to be comforting you!” He took Edd by the shoulders and shook him. “Did you even fight back? Did you?! Answer me, goddammit!”

“N-No! I didn’t! Kevin, please, you’re hurting me!”

Kevin stopped, eyes wide. He pushed Edd off of his lap and scrambled backward. He turned away, gripping at his shirt above his heart. His mouth opened in a silent scream. He felt like he was going to shatter into a thousand useless pieces. He hadn’t been there. What if it happened again? What if he hadn’t come looking? How long would Edd have been sitting there, alone and in pain? As if reading his thoughts, Edd spoke.

“I knew you would find me. I knew I could count on you.”

The words tore Kevin to bits. He laughed hollowly. “Right. You can count on me? Really? I sure did a great job helping you out today. Go, me!” He gave himself a high-five, the loud clap ringing through the room.

Edd got to his feet, wincing, and wiped the back of his hand across his lips. He took a few staggering steps toward Kevin. Grabbing two fistfuls of his shirt, Edd kissed him, guiding him back against the wall. Together they slid down the tile to the cold floor. He moved Kevin’s legs apart so he could crawl in between and rest his head against Kevin’s broad chest. He laced Kevin’s fingers in his, giving a gentle squeeze.

“It doesn’t matter that you weren’t there,” he said quietly. “That is in the past. It matters that you are here now.”

Kevin clutched Edd to his chest and tipped his head back, letting the tears flow freely. His hands slid up under Edd’s shirt and probed around, testing for damage. Edd inhaled sharply as Kevin pressed on a bruise set over his ribs. Kevin worked his way out from behind Edd and knelt with a leg on either side of him. He pulled Edd’s shirt up and broke down again. Edd looked awful, dark bruises standing out harshly against pale skin. Kevin ducked his head and began to kiss every mark he could find, little cries tearing from the back of his throat. At one point it became too much and he let his head fall forward onto Edd’s stomach while his shoulders shook with the effort of crying. Edd smoothed his hands through the soft hair at the base of Kevin’s neck, his heart breaking at the sight.

“Kevin—” he began.

“Edd. Listen to me. I want… I can’t… This can’t happen again. I couldn’t live with myself.”

“It won’t happen again. I got careless. I’ll just have to be better at hiding my feelings. I should probably avoid you at school from now on, however, as much as that pains me.”

“No, Edd. You don’t understand. I…I’ll come out for you. They wouldn’t dare touch you if they knew you were mine. So I’ll do it. I don’t care about the consequences. I just… I need you safe.”

Edd was quiet, letting the words sink in. _You don’t have to do that for me,_ he thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. He wanted this. His heart leapt at the idea of going public. He could hold his hand, stand by him in the halls, sit with him at lunch… It split the cuts on his lips open again, but he couldn’t help the smile that stretched his face. He pressed a kiss to the top of Kevin’s head.

“I love you,” he said.

Kevin nodded against Edd’s stomach. “I don’t know how, but I’m so glad you do. I love you, Edd, and I swear to god I’ll protect you.” He stood up, pulling Edd with him, and enveloped him in a tight hug.

 _Tomorrow,_ Kevin thought. He kissed Edd’s forehead, face set in determination. _This ends tomorrow._


	26. Chapter 25

Shortly after he’d finished washing the dishes from a quiet dinner, Edd heard a knock at the front door. At first he thought it might be Kevin—the redhead had a strange aversion to doorbells—but soon the chime of the bell was echoing through the house as none other than Ed entertained himself by pressing the button repeatedly. Edd stood in front of the door and hesitated. His hand went up to the cut on his cheek and brushed across the bruise on his forehead. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted his friends to see him like this, but it couldn’t be helped. At the very least they would see at school the following morning, and he did know that Eddy would be furious if Edd put off telling him.

He sighed heavily, pressed his face to the door, and shouted, “Ed! Desist!”

The doorbell stopped ringing immediately. “Double D! You’re alive! You didn’t get eaten by the evil she-wolf of Rangadoon Island!”

“What? No, I’m fine. Well…s-sort of, at any rate.”

There was a pause before Eddy spoke, his voice low and dangerous. “What do you mean ‘sort of’?”

“Ah…” Edd fussed at the edge of his hat. “Listen to me, Eddy. Kevin had nothing to do with this, and I am fine. Promise me that you will refrain from overreacting.”

“I promise, Sockhead. Just open the goddamn door.”

Edd slowly turned the doorknob and let the door swing open, staring down at his feet. He gasped when Eddy grabbed his chin and roughly turned his face up. Ed let out a very sad sounding sigh. He moved in for a hug, but Edd jumped back.

“Please, Ed. No hugs today.”

Eddy’s face grew dark. He reached forward and yanked the front of Edd’s shirt up. The hand holding Edd’s shirt balled into a tight fist as he and Ed silently took in the damage. Edd’s whole ribcage was black and blue, fading to a nasty greenish-yellow around the edges. Edd breathed shallowly through his nose, head turned to the side. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep them from watering in shame. Eddy dropped his hand and Edd’s shirt and brushed past him into the house. Edd stood aside to allow Ed entrance before shutting the door. He followed his friends into the living room, taking the seat next to Eddy. He rested his chin on his hand and toyed at a loose thread on the seam of his jeans. Eddy put out a hand to cover Edd’s, stopping his nervous picking.

“Edd,” he said. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

* * *

“And…and that’s how I found him,” Kevin said. He hiccupped.

Nazz leaned over to brush at the tears on his face. “Kev, I don’t think I’ve seen you cry in years. You really care about him, don’t you?”

Kevin nodded, sniffling. Nazz was right; he’d cried more today than he had in years. Every time he closed his eyes he saw those bruises, the terrified look on Edd’s face, the pain behind those clear blue eyes. _Fuck,_ he thought as the tears started up again. _Get ahold of yourself. You’re not a crier, dammit._ He thought back on the conversation he’d had with Edd on the floor of the bathroom and winced.

“Nazz, I told him I would come out tomorrow.”

She gasped. “You’re shitting me.”

He shook his head and sighed. “I just want him to be safe…”

“And you really think he’ll be safer once everyone knows for sure that he’s gay? Really? They beat the shit out of him just for looking at your ass for too long!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “And what do you think they’re gonna do to you, huh? You think that just because you’re a pretty good baseball player that suddenly they’re going to stop hating gays?”

Kevin slumped forward to set his head on her shoulder. “What else am I supposed to do, Nazz? At least if everyone knows I can defend him without it being suspicious.”

“I’m just not sure that this is such a good idea.”

* * *

“Ed has a point, Double D. Are you sure this is a good idea?” Eddy stretched his arm across the back of the couch, leaning back to watch Edd toy with the hem of his shirt.

“Eddy, it will come out eventually. I do believe that it will be better for the both of us if it comes from Kevin. I shudder to think what might happen if we are simply found out by someone.” Edd bit his lip and turned away. _Perhaps Eddy is right…but what else are we to do?_

“Alright, Sockhead. I’ll trust you.” Eddy sighed and stood, beckoning to Ed. “But I’ll be watching. If anybody touches you, I’ll kill them.”

“That’s entirely unnecessary, Eddy, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Edd stood and walked his friends to the door. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

* * *

Kevin was nervous. Not that it showed. He prided himself on keeping a tight lid on his emotions. It was all part of his image. He was too cool, too laid back, and everyone knew it. It’s why they loved him. Nothing fazed him. He took everything in stride. His mouth set into a familiar smirk, he strode down the hall like he owned the place, and maybe he did, but on the inside he was screaming.

A pair of careful eyes watched him from afar. Edd knew. He could see it in the way Kevin bounced his foot erratically at lunch. He could hear it in the way Kevin laughed too loudly at everyone’s jokes. He could feel it every time they made eye contact across the room. Kevin was nervous, yes, but he was also afraid. This could ruin him and they both knew it. It was almost enough to make Edd back out and just let things continue on the way they had been. Almost.

That morning, before the first bell, Edd had gone out of his way to pass by Kevin’s locker. For once, the jock stood alone, stuffing a few papers and a book into his backpack. Edd walked past quickly, head down, and hooked a finger through the back belt loop on Kevin’s jeans to give a quick tug. Kevin didn’t turn, but the tips of his ears grew red and that was all Edd needed to feel reassured. He watched for the rest of the day, hovering on the edges of Kevin’s vision and waiting for the signal. A few times, he thought he saw Kevin take the preparatory breath, but when he raised his eyebrows Kevin would give a subtle shake of the head. _Not yet,_ he seemed to say. _Not yet._

When fourth period came around and Kevin still hadn’t said anything, Edd grew annoyed. He understood that Kevin was scared, and he tried to be patient but such patience was wearing rather thin. He took a risk and texted Kevin under his desk, careful to keep his eyes on the teacher to avoid suspicion. He did not receive a reply. Jaw set in determination, he decided to find the jock after school and…and… Here his determination faltered. What was he to do? He certainly wasn’t going to force Kevin to share their relationship with the rest of the school. He worried his lip and glanced at the clock. He was shocked to discover that the final bell would ring in a few short minutes. He chastised himself for not paying attention to the lesson. When the bell rang, he ran to his locker and hurried to put his books away. He had to catch Kevin before he left.

When he came around the corner, he was a little bit surprised to find Kevin standing with what looked like the entire baseball team. Kevin rubbed the back of his neck and laughed at a joke. He looked up and met Edd’s eyes. His face grew serious in an instant. He waved Edd over. Edd’s heart went into overdrive. He walked over slowly, eyes down. He could feel the stares boring into his skull. Kevin slung an arm around his shoulder; Edd could feel it trembling.

“Guys, I need to tell you something. Double D…” Kevin trailed off.

His friends, his teammates, were staring at him like his head was on backwards. He watched a few of the faces begin to grow hostile. Glancing down at Edd, his heart twisted at the hopeful expression on that adorable face. He looked back and forth between his boyfriend and his friends, torn. The pressure grew the longer he was silent. He had to say something, but he suddenly wasn’t sure what he was going to say anymore.

“Double D is my…” He cleared his throat.

He thought he heard knuckles cracking, but he couldn’t place it. It might have been his imagination, but it scared him to death.

“Tutor,” he finished lamely. “He’s my tutor.” He felt slender shoulders slump under his arm, but he couldn’t bring himself to look. “If I don’t get my grades up and keep them up then Coach is gonna kick me off the team. Double D is gonna tutor me, so he’s off limits. I need him in one piece.”

The words sounded wrong. They pierced him to the core. He knew exactly what he was doing to Edd, and it killed him. As his teammates agreed to leave the dork alone, he chanced a quick glance down. Edd stared into the distance, eyes unfocused. Kevin thought he detected a hint of tears in his eyes, but before he could be sure Edd nodded curtly. He shook Kevin’s arm off of his shoulders and stepped away. He flashed a quick smile.

“Right,” he said coldly. “I’m his tutor. Lucky me. I’ll see you at five, _pupil_.”

He turned and spun on his heel. Kevin watched him go. Edd strode briskly past Ed, Eddy, and Nazz. Eddy sighed and Nazz shrugged. The Eds ran after their genius. Kevin came out a few minutes later and Nazz shook her head.

“You’re an idiot,” she said.

Kevin sighed. “I know.”


	27. Chapter 26

When Kevin knocked on Edd’s door at five o’clock sharp, he thoroughly expected to be greeted with a glare and an irritated huff. He expected an accusing finger jabbing at the shoe rack before its owner marched back into the living room without another word. He expected to apologize profusely, perhaps beg a little and kiss away a few tears. Nazz had coolly told him not to get his hopes up, but he secretly expected hot makeup sex. At worst, he expected a grumpy boyfriend and a few days of extra affection and effort on his part.

What he did not expect was a cheerful Edd at the door politely requesting that he remove his shoes as usual. He did not expect to be accompanied to the living room and asked how his day had been. He did not expect to find Ed sitting on the couch looking over the textbooks and papers spread neatly across the coffee table with a silly grin on his face. He did not expect to be grabbed from behind and shoved onto the couch by a very pleased-looking Eddy.

He certainly did not expect the next words out of Edd’s mouth to be, “Good afternoon, gentlemen. Welcome to today’s tutoring session.”

Now he sat wedged in between Ed and Eddy on the couch, grudgingly taking notes to keep Eddy from jabbing him in the ribs repeatedly. He knew he was being punished, but having to sit and listen to Ed attempt to learn the transitive property for the eighth time seemed a bit cruel. He suffered in silence; every complaint, every sigh, every time he even breathed funny earned him a swift whack to the back of the head from Eddy. The second time it happened he’d lifted his fist to hit back, but the look on Edd’s face had stopped him. Ed shouted out an answer to a question. He was incorrect. Patiently, Edd began to explain again. Kevin groaned on the inside. Eddy’s hand connected with his head, knocking his hat off.

“What the fuck was that for?” Kevin demanded. He rubbed at the sore spot and shoved his hat back on.

“You won’t stop being a whiny bitch,” Eddy replied.

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“You were thinking it.”

“You little—”

“Gentlemen!” Edd’s voice cut through the air sharply and the two boys fell quiet. “Please behave in a civilized manner.

Kevin grumbled and knocked Eddy’s hand away. “Fuck this. I’m going to the bathroom.” He stood and went to step over Eddy’s legs, but a hand caught the back of his shirt and yanked him back.

“Sit your ass down, Mr. Popularity. The lesson isn’t over yet,” Eddy growled.

“Eddy!” Edd snapped. “Pay attention, please. Since you are so keen on ignoring the lesson, you must understand the concept. Please create a word problem that Ed can solve using the transitive property.”

“Fine,” Eddy grinned. “If Kevin loves the baseball team, and the baseball team hates Sockhead…”

Edd sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Ed looked uneasy as he answered, “Then Kevin hates Sockhead?”

“Well done, Ed!” Edd said quickly. “That is indeed the correct use of the transitive property. I suppose this study session is now over. Please collect your things and leave as I have a significant amount of my own studying to do.”

Kevin let out a sigh as Eddy and Ed disappeared into the front hall. “Finally, we can have some alone time.”

Edd looked up sharply. “What would we need alone time for, Kevin?”

“Uh, so we can talk?”

“Talk about what? The lesson already ended. Unless there is another subject that you require my assistance with?”

“What are you talking about, Edd?”

“I am your _tutor_ , after all.”

_Ah. There it is_. “Yeah, look, babe…”

“Babe? I hardly feel that such a pet name is appropriate for a professional relationship. Please refrain from using it again.”

“Fine. _Edd_. Listen, you know I didn’t mean that. I just chickened out.”

Edd whirled around, face livid. “Oh, do I? I’m supposed to believe something you tell me quietly and in private over something you announced to the entire student body?”

“Hey,” Kevin protested. “It wasn’t the entire student body!”

“It might as well have been. You know how fast word travels.”

“Fair enough,” Kevin conceded. “But…I mean, it’s not that big a deal, right?”

Edd scoffed and paced away. Kevin rubbed at his face in irritation.

“I’m sorry, okay? You’re not my tutor. You’re my boyfriend. I just…panicked, okay? You don’t know how hard it is, how scary it is—”

“They _beat_ me, Kevin!” Edd’s voice cracked. He ripped his shirt over his head, knocking his hat askew, and threw the bunched up fabric at Kevin. The redhead looked away from the dark bruising along Edd’s sides. “And I took it for you, provoked it even, all for the sake of your precious position atop the high school totem pole. Yet you stand here and tell me that you chickened out.” Kevin winced, but Edd wasn’t done. “Oh, but it’s quite alright, isn’t it? Because you didn’t _mean_ it. How comforting. I’ll try to remember that tonight when my aching ribs keep me from sleep.”

“Edd…come on, can’t we talk about this? Just give me another chance.”

“Oh, certainly! I’ll give you exactly as much of a second chance as your _friends_ did.”

Kevin threw his hands up. “They’re not my friends!”

Edd crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “My apologies. I assumed that since you place greater importance on their opinions than you do on your _boyfriend_ that they must be friends.”

Kevin took a step back. He clenched his hands into fists. “This is bullshit.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Edd retorted.

Kevin stood trembling, his mouth working up and down for a few moments, before spinning on his heel and heading for the door. He pushed past Ed and Eddy, standing in the front hall with their mouths open, and slammed the door behind him. The two Eds barely had a chance to react before Edd came charging past them. He threw the door open and ran out into the street.

“So that’s it, then?” he shouted. “How typical!”

Kevin kept walking, head down. Across the street, Jimmy and Sarah sat on the front porch trying not to stare. Edd laughed hollowly and turned, spreading his arms wide. Jimmy gasped at the sight of his battered body.

“Kevin Barr, ladies and gentlemen!” Edd shouted.

Jimmy ran into the house with Sarah close behind.

“You are just absolutely incapable of dealing with your problems, aren’t you, _babe_?” Edd carried on, walking briskly after Kevin. “If you can’t punch it into the next dimension, it isn’t even worth your time! _I’m_ not even worth your time—”

Kevin turned abruptly, grabbed Edd by the arm, and kissed him harshly. Their teeth clashed and the cuts on Edd’s lips split open, but in an instant it was over. Kevin pushed him away and ran, knowing full well that Edd couldn’t catch him even if he wanted to, and right now he wasn’t sure he did. Edd stood stunned. Anger welled up inside of him, but he was just as angry at himself as he was his boyfriend. He brought his hands up to fist around the fabric of his hat, scrunching his face up to hold in the tears. He glanced up in time to see Kevin reach the end of the street.

“K-Kevin!” he yelled. The redhead paused, looking back. “You…you have to come back, okay?”

Kevin nodded once and held his hand up to wave before continuing around the corner and out of sight. Edd sank to his knees and shook. He wrapped his arms around himself, realizing with a small twinge of embarrassment that he was shirtless. A soft hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up through teary eyes. Jimmy smiled down at him.

“I brought you something for your bruises,” he said. He held out a small tub of green paste. “I made it myself. It should take the swelling down and help with the discoloration. Just spread it on, leave it for about fifteen minutes, and then take a warm shower. Don’t worry, it’s all organic.”

Edd took the tub and let Jimmy pull him to his feet. “Thank you, Jimmy. You’re very kind.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Together they walked back to Edd’s house. Sarah stood in the yard with Ed, rubbing her arm and looking up at the sky. Edd fell forward into Ed’s arms, letting the tallest Ed envelop him in a hug. Jimmy skipped up to take Sarah’s hand and whisper in her ear. She nodded once.

“Why don’t you stay here, Ed?” she said. “I’ll tell Mom where you went.”

Edd felt his friend nod, and a rush of gratitude fell over him. Jimmy was a good friend. Eddy came out to join in their hug for a moment before shoving them back inside.

“Alright,” he said gruffly. “We’re gonna watch movies and eat ice cream until we’re sick. That’s what you do when you’re having boy troubles, right?”


	28. Chapter 27

Eddy’s theory that if they ate ice cream nonstop they would be able to finish off an entire tub of rocky road ice cream in one go proved to be correct. Edd sat on the floor with his back against the couch and his knees pulled up to his chest. He groaned and hugged himself. Eddy lay behind him on the couch facing the TV and rubbing his stomach. The look on his face screamed of regret, and Edd felt inclined to agree. Only Ed seemed unfazed; he had his head in the empty tub, licking at what little melted ice cream remained. A drizzle of chocolate liquid dripped to the floor. Edd winced, but at the moment he couldn’t quite bring himself to care. _Is this really the course of action people turn to when they face relationship troubles? It hardly seems to be helping anything…_

On the television screen, _Evil Pig Monsters from Outer Space: Part 7_ flickered away, casting strange shadows across the room. Edd let his head fall back. He smiled when he felt Eddy tug on the end of his hat. In the quiet aftermath of the ice cream massacre, Edd was finally free to think back on his actions.

It made him want to cry.

How had he let himself lose control so completely? Not only had he chased his boyfriend down the street, screaming at him in front of anyone who cared to listen, but he had done it shirtless.He shut his eyes and hit his head gently on the couch cushion a few times. Eddy’s hand pressed down on his forehead until he stilled. He peered up at his friend, brow furrowed.

“What is it, Eddy?”

“Quit beating yourself up.”

“How do you know that I’m—”

Eddy scoffed. “Oh, please. Don’t insult me. It isn’t hard to tell. You’re sitting on the floor, banging your head on the sofa, and you didn’t even blink when Ed spilled chocolate on your carpet.”

Edd sighed and rested his chin on his knees. “Yes, I suppose I have been rather transparent…”

“Give me your phone.”

“P-Pardon?” Edd looked back, startled by the sudden demand. “Why would you need my phone when you have one of your own?”

“Because you aren’t allowed to talk to a certain Shovelchin for the rest of the weekend.” Eddy leaned down and snatched Edd’s phone from the floor. “I’ll be here. If your parents call—and I seriously doubt they will—then you can have it back. But the rest of the time it stays with me.”

“But…what if he…I need to know he’s safe,” Edd stammered.

“He’s with Nazz. He came back like two hours ago.”

_He’s back? And he didn’t come to see me?_ Edd felt his heart sink. _He really must be quite furious with me. What if—?_

“Hey! Earth to Sockhead! Before you go getting your panties in a twist, I told Nazz to keep him away. You both need some time apart. So just chill, alright? Watch the damn movie.”

“Yeah!” Ed butted in. “This is the part where the evil pig overlord has to fight the giant mutated chicken!” Ed drew in a loud and sudden gasp. “Chicken! Gertrude! I forgot to go feed her today! I told Rolf I would! I’ll be back, you guys!” He ran for the door, pulling his tattered shoes on. “Don’t start the next one without me!”

“We wouldn’t dream of it, Ed!” Edd called. “Tell Rolf we said hello!”

* * *

“Hello, tall Ed-boy! You are late!” Rolf called. He was leaning casually against the fence watching the chickens peck around for worms and bits of bread crumb when Ed ran up. “Slow yourself or you will startle them like Nana’s bunions startle Rolf.”

Ed forced himself to stop running and tiptoe up to the pen. “Hiya, Rolf! How is Gertrude today?”

Rolf grinned and waved a hand toward the hen house. “See for yourself, Ed-boy.”

Ed poked his head inside the coop and grinned widely. “Hi, Gertrude! Did you miss me?” He reached in with both of his hands and gently lifted the chicken out and into his arms. “I came to feed you today!”

Rolf handed him the bag of feed and looked on fondly as the big teen delicately scattered the food across the ground. The chickens clustered around him and clucked for more. It never failed to amaze Rolf how such a big, blundering idiot could be so good with animals. Perhaps Ed could help out around the yard more often.

“How is Kevin, Rolf?” Ed asked. He didn’t look up.

“Hmm? Casanova-Kevin is in a low place indeed, Ed-boy. He misses his smart one like Rolf misses the old country.” Rolf scratched his head. “How is the smart Ed-boy?”

“Double D is sad. But I think he will be happy soon. I don’t know why, though. I just feel it in my toes.”

Ed beamed over at Rolf. Rolf smiled back. They lapsed into comfortable silence as Ed finished feeding the chickens and gently carried Gertrude back into the coop. Ed stood swinging his arms back and forth for a minute before blurting out a farewell. Rolf’s hand shot out to rest on Ed’s shoulder.

“Ah…perhaps the tall Ed-boy can stay for a few more minutes, yes?”

* * *

Kevin lay face down on Nazz’s bed with a pillow over his head. She sat next to him, one hand scrolling through her email on her laptop and the other rubbing circles along his shoulder blades. Punk rock music played softly in the background. _I’m such a fucking idiot,_ he thought.

“No, you’re not,” Nazz said.

Kevin sat up on his elbows. “What?”

“You’re not an idiot. I mean, you are an idiot, but not about this.”

“Nazz. How could you possibly know that’s what I was thinking?”

She smiled down at him. “You don’t know a guy as long as I’ve known you without figuring some things out. Besides, you haven’t moved since you barged in here and flopped down on my bed without saying a single word.” She tapped her chin. “You miss him.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“It wasn’t a question, stupid,” she teased. She worried her lip for a moment. “Look, what’s done is done. You two just need to move past it now.”

“Right, like he’ll ever want to see me again.” He fell back onto the bed. “I can’t believe he yelled at me like that.”

“Well, to be fair, you were kind of asking for it.”

“No, I was totally asking for it.” He sighed deeply into the pillow. “What if I fucked this up, Nazz?”

“Let me just stop you right there. I’m not really in the mood for your woe-is-me bullshit. He’s fine. He feels awful about it, and he is worried about you. Does that sound like an Edd who won’t forgive you?”

“How do you know all that?”

“Never mind.” She waved him away. “I just do. Answer the question.”

“No. It sounds like…like Edd. It just sounds like Edd.”

“Exactly.” She pushed at his shoulder until he rolled over. “Here is my advice: let him come to you. Now I don’t want to hear another word of it. We’re going to drink cheap beer and watch shitty chick flicks.”

Kevin grinned and sat up. She reached under her bed for the six pack and a stack of DVDs. _She’s right. He’ll come around. I’ll probably just piss him off if I try to fix it._ The doorbell rang and he stood up, stretching his back.

“I’ll get it. It’s probably Rolf, right?”

He walked out into the front hall and pulled open the door. He was greeted with a firm slap on the back. He staggered and coughed.

“Hello to you, too, Rolf,” he laughed.

“The smart Ed-boy is fine, Kevin,” Rolf replied. He wore an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

“Uh…thanks, man.” Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. “You want to come on back?”

Nazz appeared at the end of the hall. “Rolf! Where the hell were you? You’re like an hour late!”

A hint of red crept across his cheeks. “Do not ask such questions of this son of a shepherd!”


	29. Chapter 28

Despite both Nazz’s and Rolf’s reassurances, Kevin spent the following Monday avoiding Edd like the plague. He knew it was a shitty thing to do—he saw the disappointment and frustration written all over Edd’s face at lunch—but he couldn’t help himself. He was scared to death that he’d messed up. He had never cared about someone like this. If he couldn’t fix it with an apology and a hearty slap on the back, he just let it drop. Suddenly Edd’s accusation made sense: “ _If you can’t punch it into the next dimension, it isn’t even worth your time!_ ” It was true. He wasn’t much good at working through his issues, but this was different. Edd was different. For reasons he still wasn’t clear about, Edd _did_ matter. He mattered more than anybody except maybe Nazz, but she mattered in a different way so he wasn’t sure that even counted. He watched the clock tick away, counting down the seconds until the end of the school day. He stared in disbelief as minutes that usually seemed to take forever flew by. He briefly wondered what higher power he’d offended before the bell rang. It sounded much like he’s imagined a closing prison cell to sound, but at this point he was pretty sure he was just being dramatic. He set his head on the desk as the students filed out of the room.

“Goddammit,” he muttered.

He pulled himself up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stepped out into the hall. He kept a wary eye out for the black sock hat, but he made it to his locker without incident. He spun the combination in and took one last look around before turning his attention to his books. A touch of cool metal and a click quickly alerted him to the mistake of letting his guard down. Memories came flooding back as, horrified, he followed the line of his arm down, across the pink handcuffs, up Edd’s arm, and finally to a pair of mischievous eyes.

“Greetings, Kevin.”

“Goddammit,” Kevin repeated, rubbing his face. “Fine. I had this coming. But the pink ones? Really?”

“They’re the only pair I have,” Edd replied. _For now…_

“Alright, fine. Let’s just go.” Kevin moved to walk away but stopped when he realized Edd was not following. “What?”

“We’re leaving through the front, not the back. You don’t have to go to practice today. I already spoke with the coach.”

“What?!”

“Yes. I informed him that your grade in math is absolutely atrocious. As your tutor, it is my duty to let him know that you need extra assistance to maintain your grade and therefore your position on the team. It is _not_ , however, my duty to inform your teammates. You will be doing that on your own.”

“What.”

“Come along, darling.”

“ _What_?”

Edd led him down the halls. He followed in utter disbelief. When they came around the corner and found the baseball team horsing around in the front hall, Kevin felt his face grow hot. _Maybe they won’t notice and we can just sneak past…_

“Dude, what the hell, Kev?”

_Or maybe not._ Kevin winced and smiled nervously. “Hey, Matt. What’s up, guys?”

“What the hell are you doing with this dork? Are those fucking handcuffs?”

Edd stood silently a step behind Kevin and watched with guarded eyes. Eddy and Ed were just outside if he needed them, but he only felt slightly reassured.

“I told you, he’s my tutor. I totally bombed that math test, so coach is sending me home to study so I don’t get kicked off the team.” Kevin shrugged and shoved his free hand into his pocket. He tried his best to look cool about it, but he felt his hands shaking.

Cries of “aw, how come you get to skip practice?” and “lucky!” ran through the team before Matt held his hand up for silence.

“That doesn’t explain the handcuffs,” he said threateningly. He turned his glare to Edd. “Speak, dork.”

Edd shrugged lightly. “An experiment in public humiliation. I need the extra credit for my psychology class, and Kevin was kind enough to…‘offer’ to assist me.” He smiled innocently enough, but Kevin caught a wicked glint in his eyes.

Matt nodded appreciatively. “I get that, bro. But why are they pink?” He leaned in to flick at the chain.

“You and I are both men of the world, Matthew. Use that brain of yours. For what use would one have hot pink handcuffs?” Edd grinned openly and Kevin blushed a very deep red. “If you will excuse us, gentlemen. We have a few lessons to cover tonight.”

Waving his fingers playfully, Edd left through the front door with Kevin in tow. Matt and the rest of the team watched them go in stunned silence. Edd noticed with delight that a few of the players’ cheeks were dusted in varying shades of pink. Outside they met Eddy and Ed. Eddy landed a solid punch on Kevin’s shoulder. He accepted it. _I deserve it_ , he thought.

“Damn right you do,” Eddy laughed.

“Shut up,” Kevin mumbled.

The three Eds laughed. Ed slung an arm around Kevin’s shoulder and they began to walk home. They parted at the cul-de-sac. Ed and Eddy walked off toward Rolf’s house so Ed could feed his chicken, and Kevin followed closely as Edd led them to his front door. They removed their shoes in the front hall and made their way up to Edd’s room. Seated comfortably on Edd’s bed, Kevin held out his wrist expectantly, but with a small smile Edd shook his head.

“I like this,” he explained. “You’re mine, and I’m yours. It is quite fitting, I think.”

Kevin grinned, feeling a large amount of tension lift from his shoulders. “So you’re not breaking up with me?”

“Good heavens, no! Do you honestly think that I would be so childish as to break off our relationship over one argument? Of course not.”

“Edd, I’m sorry. I really am. I was such an ass.”

“While I am inclined to agree with you, your apology is no longer necessary. I forgave you long ago.” Edd brought a hand up to rest on Kevin’s cheek. Kevin hummed and leaned into the gesture. “However, we do need to discuss this properly. We should have done so before the incident on Friday, but I allowed my emotions to override my logic. I put you in a position that you did not need to be in, and for that I apologize.”

“Don’t be sorry. I know it’s hard for you.” Kevin pulled Edd’s hand from his cheek and played with his fingers. “I just…”

“No need to explain, Kevin. I understand your position. Therefore, I have come up with a proposal that I think you will find…agreeable.”

“Oh?” Kevin raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I will permit you to keep our relationship a secret until senior year, as you originally planned, and will not mention it again under one condition: you must make the honors’ list every quarter of junior year.”

“Honors’ list? But that means I have to get all A’s, right? Have you _seen_ my report cards?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Edd flashed a smile. He reached over to his bedside table and picked up the key to the handcuff, removing them and placing them on top of their label. “I have total faith in your academic abilities, as long as you dedicate yourself and have the right motivation. I will, of course, be more than happy to tutor you, and…if you’re good…” He leaned in to brush his lips against Kevin’s. “I might just try my hand at serving as your motivation.”

Kevin growled, eyes alight with a playful spark. “You’re so fucking hot.”

He pressed forward, knocking Edd’s bag onto the floor and sliding his knee in between Edd’s legs. He rubbed gently and took Edd’s lip between his teeth, coaxing out a soft moan. Edd slid his tongue out to lap at Kevin’s lip, his hands moving to broad and tanned shoulders. He raked his nails gently down Kevin’s back, and Kevin bit into the crook of his neck in return. Shirts were quickly abandoned as the kisses became deeper and more frantic. Slender fingers probed and tested the smooth skin of a dedicated athlete, the tough-guy act falling away in little shudders and groans. Kevin tangled his fingers in Edd’s hair and pulled.

“Ah! Kevin…”

Hands traveled south, but it was Edd who took the initiative, tugging at the button on Kevin’s jeans. He slid the zipper down and wiggled the fabric over Kevin’s hips. Kevin kicked the jeans off and reached down to help Edd do the same. Their lips came together again, urgency welling in the pits of their stomachs. Edd brushed his fingertips over the soft fabric of Kevin’s boxers, biting at his lip. His face seemed to harden as he came to a decision.

“Edd?” Kevin asked. “You okay?”

Without a word, Edd moved his hands to his own hips and slid out of his boxers. Kevin watched with lustful eyes, hastily following suit. Edd rolled to the side and pulled a small, unmarked box from under his bed. He carefully removed a condom and a small bottle of lube before sliding the box back under the bed. He squeezed a dollop of the smooth liquid into his palm and snapped the bottle closed firmly. He took Kevin’s hand and smeared the lube around, lacing his fingers through Kevin’s. When he felt that Kevin was sufficiently prepared, he took a deep breath and guided Kevin’s hand down.

Eyes wide, Kevin took the offer, pressing inside of the lovely body beneath him. Edd sighed, gazing up at Kevin and laughing at his look of concentration. He rubbed the residue lubricant between his hands and began to stroke at Kevin’s length, earning delicious shivers that he watched race up Kevin’s spine. Kevin breathlessly murmured sweet nothings into Edd’s ear. Edd felt his entire body heat up, a feeling of loving desire flushing through him. He tore at the silvery wrapping around the condom, freeing the soft latex. Fingers trembling, he picked his head up so he could watch himself slide the condom onto Kevin. The redhead shuddered at the gentle touch and slid his free hand up Edd’s thigh before dragging his nails back down the pale skin.

Too soon, and yet not soon enough, Kevin leaned down for another kiss before lining himself up and pressing forward. Edd’s breath rushed out in an uncharacteristically loud gasp. He moaned and Kevin matched the sound. Kevin began to thrust harder and harder. One hand moved to slide Edd’s hat off and run through his silky hair. The dork returned the favor, fingers knotting into the short, wispy hairs at the back of Kevin’s neck. Edd pulled him closer, breaking Kevin’s rhythm, and kissed him harshly. Kevin groaned into the kiss, his pace becoming almost frenzied. Edd wrapped his legs around Kevin, drawing him deeper with each thrust. His hands released Kevin’s head and slid down so he could pleasure himself. The sight pushed Kevin over the edge. With a sharp cry, he came. After riding it out for a moment, he gently moved Edd’s hands aside, replacing them with his own. He watched with fascination for the little signs that Edd gave off as he grew closer to climax. He noted that Edd’s back arched subtly just before and slowly sank back to the bed as he came down. It was cute and sexy and almost unbearable. Edd slid out of bed for a shower, and Kevin followed without hesitation.

As the warm water washed over them, they clung to each other, eyes drooping and mouths yawning. Edd kicked Kevin out when he deemed the redhead sufficiently clean and set about scrubbing every inch of his body. Kevin stood just outside of the shower curtain and dried himself off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and sat on the toilet seat to wait. When the water finally shut off, he was ready with a towel for Edd. He pulled the skinny boy close and rubbed him down vigorously. Edd laughed, letting Kevin turn him every which way to dry him off. Hand in hand, they walked back to Edd’s room. They pulled their boxers back on but left the rest of the clothes where they lay. Kevin collapsed onto the bed and Edd followed closely behind, snuggling into welcoming arms.

“Sorry I’m an idiot,” Kevin mumbled.

“It’s alright,” Edd sighed. He felt his eyes sliding shut and stifled a yawn. “You’re my idiot.”


	30. Chapter 29

Edd placed a bottle of sunscreen into his bag and zipped it up. He stretched, feeling rather pleased with himself. His alarm read just after six in the morning, approximately an hour and half before the assigned time of departure. When Rolf had invited Kevin, Nazz, and the Eds on a trip to his family’s beach-front cottage, they had all jumped at the chance to get out of town. School had been over for nearly a month, and as much as everyone except Edd had been glad for the break to come, they were all bored to tears. The recent heat wave had most of them holed up indoors. Ed ventured out every now and again to assist Rolf in his chores, and Kevin spent most afternoons at Edd’s house. Eddy had hardly been seen or heard from in three weeks due to the release of several video games he’d been looking forward to. Nazz flitted from house to house as she saw fit, occasionally inviting everyone over for a movie night.

Now, bright and early on Monday morning, Edd was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of seeing his friends and spending some time cooling off at the beach. He ran through his mental checklist, and, once satisfied that he had everything that he needed, he settled the bag on his shoulders, wrote out a note for his parents, pulled on his shoes, and carefully locked the door behind him. He stepped off the curb and jogged across the street to Rolf’s minivan. Nazz leaned against the side of the van, rubbing her eyes and sipping at her coffee. Rolf and Kevin stood at the back arguing over proper car-packing techniques. Edd nodded a cheery hello to Nazz before moving around to hand his bag to Rolf to be placed in the van.

“Hush your mouth, Casanova Kevin! Rolf’s packing methods have been handed down for generations, perfected by my nana in the old country many years ago!”

“Shut up about your nana already! God! The heavy stuff should go on the bottom and that’s final!”

Edd peered into the trunk. “Actually, Kevin, I believe Rolf is correct in this instance. While placing the heavy items at the bottom is generally a good idea, Rolf’s method of putting the boxes on the bottom and the bags on top will allow for a sturdier…base… Kevin, why are you glaring at me?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask your boyfriend Rolf?” Kevin stomped around the van, opened the side door, climbed in, and slammed the door behind him. “Fuck you, Double Dork.”

“Not right now, darling!” Edd called back. “Maybe later, if you’re good.”

“Fuck! I forgot the back door was open! Dammit…”

Rolf broke down laughing and Edd grinned. He walked over and tapped on the window until Kevin slid the door open. Edd stepped into the van and sat on Kevin’s lap, nuzzling his head up under the redhead’s chin.

“I must say, I’m rather surprised to see you up this early. I half expected to have to drag you from your bed,” Edd teased.

“I’m always up this early, smartass. I’m just not a fucking chipper morning person like you.”

“You’re always up this early?” Surprise colored Edd’s voice. “Whatever for?”

“Well, when else am I going to work out? It’s too hot during the day and I’m always fucking around with you at night.”

Edd blushed. “I do not appreciate your foul language, Kevin. Please, today is supposed to be enjoyable.”

“And it will be, once I wake the hell up. Why don’t you go annoy someone else for a change?” Kevin tipped Edd out of his lap and onto the sidewalk, taking great care to catch and steady him so he didn’t hurt himself, before slamming the car door shut again.

Edd stared at the tinted window for a moment, tears pricking at his eyes. He contemplated running home for a quick cry, but Nazz put an arm around his shoulder and began pulling him away. She offered him her coffee, but he declined.

“Don’t worry, dude,” she said. “He’s just grumpy in the mornings. I’m surprised you don’t know that by now.”

“I do not speak to him in school and the few times he has spent the night at my house he slept until nine or ten in the morning.” Edd stared unhappily at the ground, rubbing at his cheek.

“Oh, I guess that’s true.”

They stood together in silence, the only noise coming from the tiny sips Nazz took of her coffee. When Edd heard the van door slide open and Kevin get out to continue helping Rolf, he didn’t turn. He would let Kevin come to him when he was ready. He watched the sun creep over the tops of the trees, and suddenly realized that it was nearing the time to leave and he hadn’t seen his two friends. He spun in a quick circle looking for them.

“I’m going to go see if Ed and Eddy are coming,” he said.

Nazz nodded and gave a little wave. Jogging up to Ed’s front door, Edd raised a hand to knock just as the door flew open and Ed came barreling out. He knocked Edd flat on his back in his rush. Shifting his duffle bag to one arm, he reached down to pull Edd back up by the front of his shirt and drag him along behind him.

“Eddy is still asleep! His mom told me so!” Ed said urgently.

Edd sighed. “Of course he is, Ed.”

Twenty minutes and a flurry of clothes later, Eddy sat scowling in the back seat with the last half of Nazz’s coffee. Ed bounced up and down in the seat next to him. Kevin and Edd sat facing away from each other in the middle row. Rolf tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the radio. Nazz, the self-appointed navigator, fought with the large map next to him. Edd stared morosely out of the window. Kevin hadn’t said a word to him yet, and he gave no indication of breaking the silence any time soon. Ed chattered away about his comic book, occasionally shoving the pages around and into Edd’s face to show him a particularly awesome panel, but Edd could hardly manage a weak smile in return. He frowned to himself. This was supposed to be a fun trip. Glancing over at Kevin, he found the redhead asleep, hood up, headphones in. He huffed and turned to the other Eds.

“Ed, I implore you to please stop shoving your comic in my face. I am not in the mood.”

Ed pouted but nodded his agreement. He wedged himself firmly in the corner of the seat and read quietly to himself. Eddy glanced at Kevin and pounded his fist into his palm, raising his eyebrow questioningly. Edd shook his head.

“Not necessary, Eddy. I appreciate the gesture, however,” Edd said with a small smile.

Eddy shrugged. “You know I got your back.”

“Indeed.” Edd grinned and relaxed. He was going to enjoy this trip, Kevin be damned. “Nazz? Would you be so kind as to turn the music up a bit?”

“Yeah, Double D!” she shouted, cranking the volume up. “Let’s get this party started!”

Rolf let out a cheer as they merged onto the highway, and even Eddy couldn’t keep the smile from his face as they left the Peach Creek city limits behind.


	31. Chapter 30

Five hours into the drive and stomachs were growling. Nazz and Rolf spent a good ten minutes arguing over fast food restaurants before Eddy yelled in frustration and picked for them. They parked in the crowded lot, deciding not to brave the drive-thru during the lunch rush. Kevin got out and stretched. Edd waited patiently for Ed and Eddy to clamber out from the back before climbing out, but Kevin’s arm shot across the doorway to block him. Edd watched, less than amused, as Kevin pulled some cash from his wallet and handed it to Eddy.

“Get a couple of burgers for us or something, would you?” he asked as he turned back into the van, nudging a protesting Edd backward.

“Eddy!” Edd pleaded.

“Don’t worry, Sockhead. I’ll get you a salad. Play nice, Kevin, or I’ll kick your ass.” Eddy waved as he walked away with Ed.

“Yeah, yeah…” Kevin slid the door shut and rounded on Edd. “Now.” He crawled forward, dragging Edd under him on the seat and pressing down into him. His tongue traced a path up Edd’s neck and he nibbled on Edd’s earlobe. “I think I owe you an apology.”

* * *

Eddy sniggered in the backseat and Edd spun around to glare at him. “Eddy! For the last time, _what are you laughing about_?” Edd hissed.

Kevin’s eyes widened at Edd’s tone and he edged away. “Shit, you better tell him, dude.”

“Hell no!” Eddy replied. “I’m not whipped like you are, Shovelchin. He can use his mom voice all he wants, I’m not scared of him.”

Edd narrowed his eyes and shot a dirty look in Kevin’s direction. The redhead scrambled back into the door and raised his hands defensively. Nazz leaned around to smack them both with a rolled up magazine.

“Boys! Behave! I know it’s been a long trip, but we’re almost there so please stop acting like children!”

“I am not acting like a child!”

“Nazz, I didn’t even do anything!”

“Ha, she sure told you two!”

“Eddy! Don’t make me come back there!”

“EDD, YOU HAVE A VAMPIRE BITE ON YOUR NECK!”

Rolf nearly drove off the road when Ed roared back to life from his nap. He jerked the wheel to the left, earning screams from his passenger and an angry finger from another driver. He returned the gesture as he righted the van. Nazz whirled around to glare at Ed, but his attention was focused entirely on twisting Edd’s head around to see the mark in better light. Eddy collapsed on himself cackling, and as realization dawned on Kevin’s face, he began laughing as well. Ed turned Edd’s neck to and fro, prodding at the darkened tissue.

“You have a vampire bite! Right here…and here’s another one…there’s another one! Double D!” Ed squished Edd’s face between his hands. “Were you attacked by a mouth?!”

Edd blushed furiously, jerking away from Edd and pulling his collar up around his neck. Eddy wheezed and pounded his fist on the back of the seat.

Between waves of laughter, Kevin managed to squeak out, “Rolf! Oh, god, pull over! I’m gonna pee myself!”

* * *

Ed and Rolf tripped over each other racing for the water’s edge. Nazz followed, dragging Eddy behind her. Kevin adjusted the giant umbrella so Edd’s towel was shaded. He stretched out in the sun next to his pale boyfriend. Once certain that his friends were going to be distracted enough to not tease him for his hickeys, Edd pulled his beanie off and unbuttoned the front of his shirt. He leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes. The breeze floated up from the ocean, ruffling through his hair and ghosting across his skin. He watched Nazz and Ed team up to get Eddy in the water. Rolf floated nearby, totally oblivious to the chaos around him until Eddy tripped and fell unceremoniously onto the son-of-a-shepherd. With a shout, they both went under and tumbled as a wave broke on top of them. Eddy came up spluttering. Rolf lunged at Ed, chasing him around the shallows. Edd smiled to himself. Something warm and soft brushed against his hand. He looked down to find Kevin staring very seriously up at him and running the back of his hand against Edd’s.

“Can I help you, Kevin?”

Wordlessly, Kevin pushed up to his knees and straddled Edd, ignoring his protests of sand on his towel. He mashed their lips together, the sudden urgency sending a flash of hot desire through Edd’s body. His hands went to Edd’s bare chest, exploring subtle lines and curves. Edd leaned up into the kiss, brushing his fingers through fiery hair. Kevin pressed him back onto the towel and slid his knee between Edd’s legs. Edd grasped at broad shoulders, warm from the sun, and wrapped a leg around Kevin’s waist.

“Get a room!” Eddy shouted.

Edd froze, mortified. _I had completely forgotten where we are! Oh, how embarrassing!_ His thoughts were interrupted as he was abruptly picked up and thrown over Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin carried him up the beach toward the spacious house, flipping Eddy off as he went. Once inside, Kevin wasted no time in locating the bedroom and tossing Edd down on the bed. He shut the door behind him with his foot and stalked forward.

“Now, where were we?”


	32. Chapter 31

Eddy watched Kevin carry Edd up the beach and toward the house. When Edd gave a sheepish wave, he scowled.

“When I said ‘get a room’ I didn’t mean _literally_!” he shouted.

Ignoring him, Kevin disappeared into the house and slid the door shut behind him. Eddy crossed his arms, his frown deepening. He turned back to the rest of the group and threw his hands up in defeat. Ed gave him a sad look and shrugged. Rolf swam up behind the tall Ed and grabbed him around the legs. Ed shouted in surprise and fell back. The two began to wrestle for the upper-hand, sending large splashes into the air. Pouting, Eddy turned to Nazz for sympathy.

“It’s not fair. This is supposed to be a group trip. Who does he think he is to just make out—OFF. Make off. Leave. With Sockhead? He’s our friend, too.” Edd looked out toward the horizon to hide his blush.

“They had a rough day. Give them some time to make out—UP. Goddammit, Eddy! Time to make up!”

“They’ve had plenty of time to make up _and_ out. Edd’s neck looks like a fucking octopus got him—”

“Octopus?! Where?!” Ed stopped, lifted Rolf up, and hugged him to his chest. “Don’t worry, Rolf! I’ll save you!”

He ran out of the water and down the beach. Rolf, by no means a small guy and absolutely not used to being picked up, bounced around Ed’s arms in stunned silence. They were almost out of sight around the curve of the shoreline before Eddy and Nazz heard the foreign boy begin to protest.

Nazz grinned and elbowed Eddy. “What, you’re not gonna bitch about Ed leaving?”

“Why would I?” He slapped her arm away. “He’ll be back any minute now.”

“Oh, you’re so sure?”

Eddy gave her a funny look. “Yeah. What else would he do?”

Nazz shrugged in a very deliberately noncommittal sort of way. “I don’t know. I don’t think we’ll see those two again before dinner.”

Eddy eyed her for a moment. “Bet.”

“Ten bucks says I’m right.”

“You’re on”.

Eddy slapped his hand into hers and shook it once before jerking her forward. He scooped her up and threw her into the water. She shrieked, tucking into a ball on impact. She came up gasping and shot a spray of water at Eddy in retaliation.

“Eddy, you ass!” she yelled. “You got my hair wet!”

“Oh, cry me a river!”

He dodged her splashes and stuck out his tongue. She tackled him. They fell into the water, laughing. Eddy wrapped an arm around her waist to prevent her escape, closing his eyes against the water she kicked up. H leaned in close to her face and shook his hair at her. She giggled and covered her eyes. Eddy glanced back and grinned to see a wave swelling up. He flipped Nazz onto her stomach, one arm holding her up around her waist and his other hand resting lightly on the back of her thigh. She squirmed.

“Eddy, what are you—” She twisted her neck around to look. Her eyes widened. “Oh, Eddy, no, no, no, no, please, I don’t want to, I don’t know how!”

“Put your hands forward, like Superman,” he said.

Hesitantly she obeyed, a nervous whimper escaping her lips. The wave crested and Eddy tightened his hold to fling her forward. Her terrified scream quickly became one of joy as the water carried her swiftly to shore. She lay on the sand where the wave deposited her, catching her breath. When Eddy sat down beside her and brushed a bit of sand from her cheek, she looked up, eyes sparkling.

“Again!”

* * *

“Knight-in-Shining-Armor Ed-boy! Rolf appreciates your rescue attempts, but please stop! You are jostling me like Rolf jostles the sack of sustenance at the time of milking!”

“Oh.” Ed halted, sending Rolf tumbling out of his arms. “Sorry, Rolf! I just had to get you away from the octopus!”

Rolf sat up, rubbing his head and squinting. “Why? Rolf is quite capable of defending himself!”

Ed paused, face screwed up in concentration. After a moment, pink began to creep into his cheeks. “I don’t know. I just had to save you.”

Rolf felt something twist deep down in his stomach. He frowned slightly. He thought he’d talked himself out of this. He couldn’t be feeling…whatever this was, not about Ed. He picked himself up, shaking his head. Ed jumped forward to dust him off, roughly brushing at the sand on Rolf’s bare back. Rolf squirmed and twisted away.

“Ed-boy! I am not one of Nana’s bunions! You do not have to be so rough!” He rubbed gingerly at the raw, red splotches growing on his chest and stomach.

Ed leapt back, clasping his hands firmly behind him. “I’m sorry, Rolf! Mom says I don’t know my own strength.” He thought for a moment. “But if I don’t know it, then how is it mine?”

Rolf stared for several seconds before laughing. “Come, Ed-boy. We should retu—”

He was interrupted by a high squeal. He watched with mild amusement as Ed took off after a little sand crab, waddling along to mimic its movements. It darted back and forth to avoid getting stepped on. Suddenly, Ed scooped his hands down and under the crab, picking it up along with a handful of sand. He shifted to free one of his hands and reached to grab the crab.

“Ed-boy! Stop! You must be…” Rolf stopped, watching as Ed delicately took the crab up with two fingers, holding it softly while he tipped the sand out of his hand. “Gentle.”

Ed brushed his hand off on his swim trunks before softly setting the crab onto his outstretched palm. “Rolf! Look!” He moved slowly to stand in front of Rolf, holding the crab out proudly. “Her name is Rachel! I just decided that.”

“How do you know it is a she-crab?” Rolf asked curiously.

Ed shrugged. “I just do. Do you want to hold her?”

He nodded and held out his hands. Ed slid his fingers under Rolf’s and tipped the crab forward. Rolf suppressed a shudder, choosing to blame it on the tickling feet of the crab scurrying across his hands and not the butterflies beating at his stomach lining. He glanced up and found Ed gazing fondly down at the crab. Ed’s hands came up to cup Rolf’s and his thumbs brushed lightly across skin as he nudged the crab back from the edges. Rolf cleared his throat, face growing hot.

“Perhaps Rachel would like to go home now, yes?”

Ed beamed and nodded. “Just set her down, okay? She knows the way, I bet. I should ask Double D later. He would know.”

“So, Ed-boy, you like all animals? Rolf thought you liked his chickens.”

“Oh, chickens are my favorite! But I like other animals, too. Animals are the best!” Ed frowned. “Except for gravy. Gravy is the best.”

“And buttered toast, yes?” Rolf offered.

“Buttered toast!” Ed swept Rolf up into a crushing hug. “Thank you for reminding me, Rolf!”

Rolf hesitated and then reached around to return the hug. Ed stiffened in surprise. No one had ever hugged back before. He grinned and squeezed even tighter. When the hug ended, Rolf was the last to let go. Ed scratched his head.

“I guess we should go back now,” he said.

“Wait, Ed-boy. Follow Rolf.”

Rolf turned and continued along the beach away from the house. Ed followed, picking up interesting shells along the way to show to Edd later. They walked for nearly ten minutes. When they hit a cliff, Ed stopped, but Rolf just waved him on and waded out into the water. They walked along the cliff side until they reached a low opening. Taking a deep breath, Rolf ducked under the water and into the hole. A short swim forward and it opened up into a small cavern. He pulled himself up onto the rock and waited for Ed, helping him up when he finally popped out of the water. Watery light filtered down through openings in the top of the cliff. Moss and other plants grew along the floors and walls, protecting their feet from the jagged rocks. Rolf held out his hand.

“Come, Ed-boy.”

Ed hesitated, staring at Rolf’s hand. He slowly reached out and took it. He looked up to Rolf for reassurance, and Rolf gave it in the form of a quick squeeze to the fingers. They walked farther into the cave and came upon a series of shallow pools. Ed gasped. The pools were full of life. Colorful fish swam in schools, long plant fronds drifted with the current, and striped crabs scuttled about snapping at each other. Ed drew in a sharp breath and held it as he crouched down for a better look. Rolf was very aware of the fact that they were still holding hands. He slowly knelt beside Ed, hoping that the disturbance wouldn’t cause Ed to take his hand away. It didn’t. For the next hour, they sat together and admired the tide pools. Ed found a few more friendly crabs and even managed to coax a slippery eel to come out and dance around his fingers. At some point, Rolf wasn’t sure when, their hands adjusted so their fingers could lace together. Ed picked up yet another crab and let it run up his arm, laughing. Rolf watched. He tapped his chin for a moment, worked up the courage, and spoke.

“Rolf is confused,” he confessed.

Ed glanced over briefly before turning his gaze back to the crab. “Why?”

“How does the strong-as-an-ox Ed-boy handle animals as if they were fragile like Nana’s best dishes?”

Ed’s face grew serious. He lowered his hand to the rocks to let the crab crawl off and away. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his free arm around his legs. He sighed heavily. “One time, when I was little, before my baby sister was even born, I had a hamster. His name was Scrumples and he was super fluffy and soft. I loved him a lot.” Ed fell silent, and Rolf rubbed circles into the back of Ed’s hand with his thumb. “One day, we were playing hide and seek. I was it, and Scrumples was the hider. When I found him, I was so happy that I gave him a big hug.” Ed jerked his head to the side and made a cracking noise with his mouth, and Rolf winced. “And it took me a really long time to realize what happened. But after that, I was always gentle with animals. I’m not always gentle with people, though.” Ed looked guiltily at the red marks he’d left from brushing Rolf off earlier.

Rolf waved him off. “Do not worry yourself, Ed-boy. Rolf is fine.” They sat quietly for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. “Ed-boy? I was wondering if you would want to help Rolf in his chores. I cannot pay you, but I will feed you the food of my home country. Your companionship would be more appreciated than…than…it would just be appreciated.”

Ed’s face lit up. “I can help? Really? Every day?”

“Every day. Rolf’s chickens like you, Ed-boy, and…I like you.”

Ed beamed. “I like you, too, Rolf!”

Rolf smiled, rising to his feet. “Come, Ed-boy. We must leave before the tide fills the cave like Nana’s sausages fill Rolf’s belly.” They walked hand in hand to the opening. “Do you remember how to get out?”

Ed nodded and plunged into the water. When he was out of sight, Rolf let out a quick yip and did a celebratory jig from the old country. This trip was the best idea he’d ever had.

* * *

Kevin twirled a strand of Edd’s hair lazily around his finger. The open window let in a gentle breeze, ruffling the sheet drawn up around them. Edd’s chest rose and fell slowly as he slept, breath escaping through slightly parted lips. Kevin took the sight in, memorizing every line of him. His fingertips ghosted across defined cheekbones, down a slender neck, and up a pale arm resting outside of the sheet. After several moments, he adjusted to slide his arm under Edd’s pillow and settle around the sleeping form. He nuzzled his face into Edd’s hair, breathing in the clean scent. He closed his eyes, matching his breathing to Edd’s, but a knock on the door interrupted any attempts to join the dork in dreamland. He carefully extracted his arm, untangled his legs from Edd’s, and went to the door. At the last second he remembered to pull his basketball shorts back on, hiking them up over his hips as he turned the doorknob.

“Oh, hey, Nazz. What’s up?” He stepped out into the hall and closed the door softly behind him.

“Oh, were you sleeping? I’m sorry, dude.”

“Nah, just Edd. I kind of—I mean, the trip kind of wore him out.”

“Uh huh.” Nazz rolled her eyes knowingly. “Whatever, dude. Listen, we’re gonna start dinner in maybe half an hour. Be there or be square.”

She waved over her shoulder as she walked away. Kevin grinned and shook his head. He reentered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled his hat back on and pulled out his phone. He played games on it for twenty minutes or so, and when he heard Eddy and Rolf arguing over how to light the grill, he leaned over to Edd and pressed a kiss to the hollow behind his ear. Edd groaned and rolled over.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled.

Kevin laughed. “I must have something stuck in my ears, ‘cause I swear I just heard _the_ Eddward ask for five more minutes.”

“Oh, hush.” Edd stretched, curling his toes. “Mmm…how long was I asleep?”

Kevin shrugged. “Maybe an hour?”

“Oh, dear.” Edd sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve thrown my whole sleep schedule off, I’m sure of it.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it?”

“Nah.” Kevin stood up and began tossing Edd’s clothes back onto the bed so he could get dressed. “I don’t think it’ll matter.”

“If you say so.” Edd pulled his clothes on and looked around for his beanie. “Have you seen my—oh, very funny, Kevin.”

“What?” Kevin asked innocently. The end of Edd’s hat stuck out of the top of Kevin’s shorts. The redhead began to rock his hips back and forth. “If you want it, come and get it.”

Edd sighed and crawled to the other side of the bed. He held out his hands and pouted. “Please, Kevin?”

Kevin stepped forward until their bodies were pressed together. He pulled the hat out and fixed it on top of Edd’s head, fingers tugging the fabric into place before moving to the back of Edd’s neck to pull him in for a kiss.

“Come on. It’s time for dinner.”

* * *

Edd sat at the table with Ed and Nazz, identifying the shells that Ed brought him. Eddy and Rolf huddle just outside the double doors struggling to light a fire. Kevin stood in the kitchen sliding graham crackers, marshmallows, and squares of chocolate onto a huge plate. After dinner they’d gone back to the beach for a few hours to build sandcastles and watch the sunset. As the night chill set it, they had retreated to the house to eat s’mores and play with Eddy’s collection of sparklers and other small fireworks. Once the fire finally caught, Edd moved outside to set up a tripod for Nazz’s camera. He set the camera to a slow shutter speed and added a timer. Nazz lit a sparkler and moved out to draw shapes for the camera so Edd could be sure he had the ideal settings. The pictures came out perfectly. Pleased with himself, he called to the others. They spent the time waiting for the fire to build up writing words and chasing each other around with their sparklers.

When Rolf deemed the fire to be ready, Kevin went inside for the plate and toasting forks. Edd spent more time fussing over the mess than enjoying the treats, but he joined in happily as they swapped stories of their childhood antics. He corrected Eddy on multiple occasions and flushed with embarrassment when Kevin brought up some of the more childish scams the Eds had tried to pull off. As the night went on and the six friends began to grow tired, Edd insisted that they retire to bed for the night. He oversaw the extinguishing of the fire, making sure that it was done properly before shooing everyone off. Rolf, Eddy, and Ed piled into the living room so Nazz could have the spare bedroom. Kevin and Edd returned to their room after Edd was satisfied that everyone was properly tucked in for the night.

Half an hour later, Edd was tossing and turning. _I just knew it,_ he thought miserably. _I’ll never get to sleep at this rate._ He rolled over and curled up against Kevin’s side. Kevin kissed the top of his head.

“What’s wrong, babe? Can’t sleep?”

“So it would seem,” Edd huffed.

“Well, no point in wasting any more time, then.” Kevin threw the covers aside and stood. He reached down for Edd’s hand. “Come on.”

Edd took Kevin’s hand, cocking an eyebrow. “Where are we going?”

Kevin’s face broke into a grin. “We’re going skinny dipping.”


	33. Chapter 32

“Come on, babe.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Do it for me?”

“No.”

“But you can’t sleep anyway. We might as well have fun!”

“Define ‘fun.’”

“Come on, Edd! Live a little!”

“I can live just fine right here, thank you.”

“I’m going even if you aren’t. I’ll leave you behind.”

“I don’t mind. I brought a book.”

“I’ll go sleep in Nazz’s room instead of in here!”

“No, you won’t.”

“…no, I won’t.” Kevin snuggled up to Edd, pouted his lip out as far as it would go, and sighed his saddest sigh. “Pleeeease, baby?”

Edd rolled his eyes. “I will agree to go, but I will not make any promises regarding my clothing or lack thereof.”

“Yes!” Kevin whooped. Edd shushed him and he smiled guiltily. “Sorry. Well, come on! Let’s go!”

“Kevin, wait! I have to change into my swimming trunks.”

“You call them trunks? Seriously?”

“That’s what they are called, Kevin.”

“That’s what _dorks_ call them, maybe…”

“Oh, hush!”

“Ow, ow! Okay! Jeez…”

* * *

In the end, all it had taken to get Edd’s shorts off was Kevin taking _his_ shorts off. To see his boyfriend standing there unashamedly, in all his ridiculously attractive glory, one hand extended toward him, _him_ of all people, had swiftly cast aside any fears or doubts he may have had. He shimmied out of his swimming trunks, letting them fall down around his ankles before carefully stepping out of them. He looked back up to take Kevin’s hand and found the redhead with both hands pressed to his mouth, a large grin peeking out from around his fingers.

“What?” Edd asked.

“That was the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. God, I love you. Get your ass over here!” Kevin held his arms out, taking Edd into a tight hug.

Edd relaxed into the embrace. “Thank you.”

“For what, babe?”

Edd frowned slightly, trying to place coherent words to his feelings. “For…choosing me, I suppose.”

“Can’t be a choice if there was never anyone else.” Kevin kissed the tip of Edd’s nose. “Now, come on! I didn’t get you out here and naked just to stand around! Let’s swim!”

Kevin ran out into the water and dove right in. He popped up and shook his hair. Seeing Edd still standing hesitantly on the sand, he beckoned enthusiastically. With a sigh, Edd began to wade out. Satisfied, Kevin ducked back under the water and swam out a ways before turning parallel to the shore and pulling his body through the water. Edd stopped knee deep in the water to watch, arms tucked up around his chest. Goosebumps popped up along his arms and chest. His pale skin seemed to glow in the bright moonlight. Compared to Kevin, he looked like a ghost. The thought made him frown, but he couldn’t dwell on it with Kevin’s body displaying all of its athletic talent right in front of him. He bit his lip, trying to ignore the stirrings in the pit of his stomach. A breeze blew around him and he shivered.

“Kevin!” he called. He tried to keep the whine out of his voice.

Kevin glanced over and changed course. When the water got shallow, he lifted his head and dogpaddled over to nuzzle up to Edd’s legs.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s cold…” Edd rubbed his arms vigorously.

“It’s warmer in the water, I promise. Come on, you can do it!” Kevin coaxed him down, drawing him close once he was fully submerged. “Better?”

“Yes…” Edd nodded. “It’s still a bit chilly, however.”

Kevin drew his fingertips down Edd’s chest and across his stomach. “Maybe I should warm you up, then.”

Edd gasped, cheeks burning. “Please.”

Sinking his teeth into the crook of Edd’s neck, Kevin raked his nails up Edd’s thighs. “Please what?”

Edd whimpered. “T-Touch me. Please.”

Kevin flipped him over and kissed him, one hand braced on the sand to keep them above water. Edd wrapped his legs around Kevin’s waist, pressing himself up. They drifted toward the shore, bodies tangled together, fingers working knots into wet hair, lips working against each other while tongues playfully fought for dominance. When Edd was gasping, Kevin moved his attention to a slender neck and porcelain shoulders. He dragged his tongue across the skin, wrinkling his nose at the salty taste and biting down on a pronounced collarbone. Edd let out a breathy sigh, clutching at Kevin’s shoulders.

“K-Kevin…” he moaned.

“Fuck, Edd!” Kevin growled in the back of his throat. “Say it again…”

Edd arched his back, his hair trailing through the water. “Kevin!”

With a strangled groan, Kevin slid his hand down between them and took Edd’s length in his hand. Edd threw his head back and mewled. The water rippled out from the point where their bodies rocked together, disturbing the glassy surface. Edd watched the moonlight flicker on the water through half-closed eyes, but only for a moment; Kevin flicked his thumb over the slit and Edd gasped, leaning forward to rest his forehead on Kevin’s shoulder. He brought his fingers up to twist at Kevin’s nipples, eliciting deep moans that sent shuddering flashes of desire through his body.

“Edd,” Kevin began before biting his lip, eyes closing.

Knowing what was desired, Edd let his hands fall slow-motion through the water to mirror Kevin’s motions. Kevin whined, a high pitched noise so unlike him that it took Edd a moment to realize it had come from the redhead. He laughed.

“That…was a noise…that I did…not…know you could make,” he huffed.

“Shut…up…dork,” Kevin growled back.

He picked up the pace, effectively silencing the skinny boy. Edd bit down on Kevin’s shoulder and tried to keep up. He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing from experience that Kevin had done the same, and tried to focus on his hands, twisting, pulling, and teasing in all the ways he knew Kevin liked. He felt a vague and passing sort of gratitude that he seemed to have a greater amount of control over his urges; as pressure built in his gut, he slid his tongue along Kevin’s shoulder and up his neck, sucking and nipping at the spot just below his ear, pushing Kevin over the edge.

“E-Edd!” he cried as he came.

The sound of his name was enough for Edd to climax, letting go with a sharp inhale and soft exhale. His back arched and slowly relaxed, just as Kevin knew it would, and calloused hands moved up his back to draw him close. The water in between them was warm, the contrast to the cooler water around them sending shivers up the backs of Edd’s thighs. He wrapped his legs around Kevin and let his chin fit snugly over Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin hummed contentedly, rubbing his hands slowly up and down Edd’s back. Suddenly, Edd gasped.

“Kevin!”

“Mmm, I know, babe.”

“No, Kevin! Look out!”

“Wha—OH, SHIT!”

The wave broke over them, filling Kevin’s mouth and nose with salt water as they tumbled. Edd’s knee hit him in the face, and he let go, pushing himself away to avoid further injury. Just as he finally righted himself and came up for air, a second wave slammed into him. He rolled like a pair of shoes in the dryer, finally coming to a halt when his face scraped along the sandy bottom. The wave deposited him on the beach and he lay gasping for breath. Edd, it appeared, had fared better. He trudged over, dropping to his knees beside the jock.

“Kevin! Are you alright?”

Gentle hands flipped the coughing redhead over, encouraging him to sit up. Kevin hacked up several mouthfuls of water, spitting them out away from Edd. His nostrils burned. He exhaled sharply through his nose several times, trying to rid it of the stinging salt water.

“Well, that’s a mood killer,” he coughed, grinning.

Edd rubbed his back until he caught his breath. Giving one final cough, he shook the water from his hair and flopped back down. Edd joined him, gingerly wiggling his shoulders to shift the sand into a more comfortable position. The sky was very pretty, stars twinkling and winking away. Edd could just make out some of the larger craters on the moon. A few more waves crashed onto the beach, sea foam hissing up around their ankles, before the ocean calmed again.

“Thank you, Kevin. This was not as bad as I had feared.”

“Are you kidding? This was fucking awesome!” Kevin rolled to prop himself up on his elbow. “I almost drowned. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Edd laughed. “And you did make the most glorious noise earlier. I will never forget that.”

Kevin scowled. “Yeah, well. Don’t tell anyone about it or I’ll pound you.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Kevin.”

They gazed at each other for several long moments. “Alright, come on. We should get back.”

Edd let Kevin help him to his feet, brushing himself off as Kevin went for their clothes. Most of the sand stuck to him, and what little did not felt like sandpaper as he wiped it off. He made a face and stopped. He would take a shower when they got back to the house.

“Uh…Edd?”

“Hmm?” He looked up to find Kevin looking around in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you remember where we left the clothes?”

“Why, yes, they should be…right…oh, damn it all.”

Kevin’s mind glazed over the fact that Edd had just sworn, instead choosing to focus on following a slender, pointing finger away from the beach and out into the ocean where the tide was pulling their shorts out to sea.


	34. Chapter 33

Kevin woke up alone. His hand searched the sheets beside him in vain. Grumbling, he cracked an eye and reached for his phone. _Five in the fucking morning._ He groaned.

“Edd?” he called out.

There was no answer. He rolled over, figuring Edd must be in the bathroom. He burrowed into the sheets, found his warm spot again, let his heavy eyelids slide shut… A loud guffaw from another room startled him. He lashed out and fell with a shout. He listened with annoyance as Eddy began to laugh and Nazz shushed him. He untangled his legs from the sheets and shoved his hat onto his head. Stomping from the room and slamming the door behind him, he was met in the hall by a very tired-looking Edd and a mug of coffee. Edd stood up on his toes to press a kiss to Kevin’s forehead, nose, and finally his lips, darting his tongue out to tease along Kevin’s lower lip before taking it playfully between his teeth.

“Good morning, darling,” he said quietly. “I apologize for waking you, but please don’t be upset. As predicted, I had a difficult time getting to sleep, and Nazz thought it might be nice to watch the sunrise together. You don’t have to join us, but I would appreciate your company.” He held out the mug. “I brought you coffee, if that helps.”

Kevin debated being grumpy and going back to bed, but Edd was trying so hard. He could tell, and for some reason it made him really happy. Careful not to spill the hot liquid, he took the mug and pulled Edd in for a hug. “For you, babe, anything. Just give me a minute to get dressed and shit.”

Edd nodded happily and turned to go back into the living room. Kevin took a testing sip of the coffee and hummed in pleasure. It was just the right temperature and held a hint of hazelnut. _Mmm…my favorite._ His mood lifted considerably as he drank, changing his shorts for a pair of sweats with one hand. He drained the mug and set it down so he could pull on a shirt. He brought the mug with him when he left the room and padded into the kitchen.

“Morning, slugger,” Nazz said brightly. She took the mug from him and set it in the sink. “Everyone’s out on the porch. Ed is telling an _extremely_ interesting story about the two ghosts he saw last night.” She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to hide her grin.

“Ghosts?” he asked. “Sounds freaky.”

“Oh, it was freaky, alright.”

She laughed, clutching at the counter for support. He raised an eyebrow, but she waved him out the door without explanation. Annoyed, he stepped through the living room and out onto the back porch. There he found Ed talking animatedly to an enthralled Rolf, Eddy in tears laughing on the sand, and Edd sitting very uncomfortably and very red at the picnic table. He slid onto the bench behind his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around him.

“What the hell is Eddy so happy about?” he grumbled.

If possible, Edd’s face grew even redder. “Ed is telling us a story, Kevin, about two ghosts that he saw last night.”

“So?”

“He saw them streaking by the house, Kevin.”

“Oh.”

“ _Streaking_ , Kevin.”

“ _Oh._ ”

“They were huge, Double D!” Ed yelled. “And white. Well, one of them was white. The other one was REALLY white! Like the snow beasts on the third moon of Jupiter!”

Eddy looked over at Edd and laughed harder, rocking back and forth. Edd pouted and folded his arms across his chest. Nazz came out of the house with a plate stacked high with toast. She set it down on the table and sat across from Kevin and Edd. She stared at them with a knowing smile until Edd broke and looked away.

“So,” she began. “Wardrobe malfunction, or…no, knowing Edd, it can’t have been intentional. Definitely a wardrobe malfunction.”

“Yeah, this little shit didn’t tell me to move our clothes far enough up the beach,” Kevin responded, poking his finger into Edd’s side.

“Don’t you dare blame this on me, Kevin Barr! I didn’t want to go in the first place.”

Kevin opened his mouth to retort, but a light slap to the back of his head shut him up. He rubbed the spot and scowled at Eddy as the short Ed took a seat next to Nazz. “What the hell was that for?”

“Don’t make him do shit he doesn’t want to do,” Eddy said.

“Fuck you. He liked it.”

Edd jumped in, leaning forward to break their glaring contest. “Yes, I did. It’s fine, Eddy. Thank you.”

Kevin looked as if he wanted to say more, so Edd took his face in his hands and kissed him, ignoring Eddy’s gagging noises. With a sharp hug, Kevin allowed himself to fall into the kiss, letting Edd melt away his anger. After a moment, Edd pulled back and Kevin made a noise of complain. Edd laughed, leaning forward to nuzzle his face against the other’s chest.

“Happy, happy, happy,” he muttered.

Kevin rolled his eyes and pulled his boyfriend onto his lap. “Dork,” he said.

“You know it,” came the teasing response.

They sat like that for a while, rubbing at sleepy eyes. Ed and Rolf chattered away, barely pausing for breath, about anything and everything. Eddy rested his chin on Nazz’s shoulder, begging for a bite of her toast.

“Get your own toast,” she told him, holding her piece tauntingly just out of his reach.

“I don’t want a whole piece,” he growled. He made a snatch for it and missed. “Come on, Nazz! Just a bite!”

“Trade you for a kiss!” she said.

Eddy’s mouth dropped and Kevin looked up sharply. Realization dawned on her face and Nazz blushed. She shoved the toast into Eddy’s open mouth and stood up.

“Just kidding, you guys! God!” She laughed nervously. “You should’ve seen your faces! I’m going to get a drink. Does anybody want anything? No?”

Edd stood up, pulling Kevin’s hands from around his waist. “I’ll come with you,” he said.

Nazz looked disappointed but resigned. She nodded and turned to open the door. Walking into the kitchen, she busied herself filling glasses with orange juice, avoiding Edd’s gaze. Edd, for his part, tried to help alleviate her discomfort by retrieving a tray and placing the filled glasses on it.

“Nazz,” he began. He debated between a delicate or more straightforward approach, deciding to simply ask. “Are you and Eddy—”

“No.” She spoke firmly, trying to leave no doubt in his mind. “Look, Eddy’s a cool guy. We’re much closer as friends than anybody knows, even you and Ed. Kevin has no idea. I’m sure you can guess why.” Edd nodded understandingly and Nazz sighed. “I don’t know why I said that to Eddy. I’m just tired, I guess. Just teasing, you know, dude?”

“I understand,” he assured.

“Yeah. I knew you would. Hey, do me a favor and don’t tell Kevin that I’m friends with Eddy. You know how he gets. He’s a real idiot sometimes.”

“Yes, he can be quite hard-headed.” Edd giggled, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Come on,” Nazz said with a smile. “We don’t want to miss the sunrise.”

* * *

The sunrise was spectacular, though not quite spectacular enough for Kevin’s tastes. The redhead returned to bed shortly after. Edd, ever the good sport, decided to stay up and assist in breakfast preparations. Ed dragged him out to build a sandcastle once everything was as ready as it could be without cooking it. Eddy quickly grew annoyed at Edd’s attempts to measure and straighten the walls of their castle, deciding to jump on it. Sand sprayed out from the impact. Edd pouted until Ed dragged him forward into a dog-pile, landing on top of the short Ed with a shout.

“Boys!” Nazz called. “Time to cook breakfast! Go clean up or whatever.”

“Pancakes!” Ed yelled.

He grabbed a friend under each arm and sprinted for the house. He dropped Edd outside of the bathroom and took Eddy with him into the back bedroom. Edd looked around in surprise, touched that his friend would know of his desire to shower. He started the water and undressed, folding his clothes and placing them on the toilet seat. He set his hat on the counter and stepped into the shower, his body shuddering slightly at the change in temperature. He smiled into the warm water and began to hum to himself, eyes closed, gliding a bar of soap over his skin. His nameless tune prevented him from hearing the door open or the shower curtain rustle, and when arms snaked around his torso, he jumped and squealed.

“Relax, babe. It’s just me.”

“Oh, Kevin,” he breathed. “You startled me.”

Kevin hugged him tightly and spun him around to take his place in the water. They shared a quick shower, dried each other off, and got dressed. In the kitchen, breakfast was well underway. They fell on the pancakes and eggs like the growing teenagers they were. Kevin was stuck with cleanup duty as punishment for sleeping in. Edd helped, but even together the mess took a while to clean. By the time they’d finished, it was nearly time to pack up and leave for Peach Creek.

Rolf and Kevin ended up arguing over packing techniques again. Edd wisely stayed out of it this time, choosing instead to double check that all of the windows and doors were properly secured. Soon it was time to leave. They waved goodbye to the beach and set off. The day was going well, everyone laughing and singing along to the radio, until a sudden pop sent the car spinning. Rolf quickly regained control of the van, coasting to a stop on the side of the highway. A quick inspection confirmed their suspicions: the front tire had a large, rusty nail embedded in it and had gone completely flat. They were two and a half miles out of town without a spare, and not a single bar of cell phone service among them. Rolf uttered a string of words that made no sense to anybody but himself and kicked at the tire.

“I guess someone will have to walk back to town and get help,” Nazz said with a shrug.

“Yes, but who will go?” Edd asked. He caught Nazz’s gaze and subtly tilted his head in Kevin’s direction. “It should be someone strong, someone with decent endurance.”

“Yeah, someone who can make the trip quickly.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Oh, my god, fine. I’ll go.”

Edd reached out to stop him. “Wait, Kevin! You can’t go alone.”

“Right,” Nazz agreed. “You need a buddy. Someone who understands money, I think.”

“Yes, I agree, Nazz. We don’t want to be cheated or ripped off in our dealings with a tow company.” Edd stared pointedly at Eddy.

Eddy shook his head. “Hell, no. I’m not going anywhere with Shovelchin.”

“But Eddy, who else better to protect our young and naïve selves from the treacherous world of salesmen and conmen?”

Eddy rolled his eyes. “Oh, my god, fine. I’ll go.”

“Good man,” Edd said with a mock salute. “We shall await your triumphant return!”

“Yeah, yeah. Put a sock in it, Sockhead.”


	35. Chapter 34

It was a hot day. The sun was out in full force, happily shining away. Kevin would swear that it was mocking him. He strode purposefully forward, ignoring the discomfort of the heat. A very light sheen of sweat had formed on his face and lower back, but his years of playing sports in the sun kept it from becoming too much of a problem. He’d gone back and forth with his hat a few times. If he left it the way he usually did, the back of his neck was kept cool, but he couldn’t see. In the end, he’d grudgingly flipped it around so the bill was in front, shading his eyes. Ten steps behind him, Eddy trudged along in sullen silence, sweating profusely and holding a bruise on his shoulder—the result of laughing at Kevin’s temporary change of hat style.

“Who’s the dork now?” he’d cackled.

“You,” Kevin had replied with a swift jab to the arm.

For a while, Kevin had walked along with his thumb out, hoping that someone would give them a lift, but no one wanted to pick up two teenage boys from the side of the highway. He didn’t mind terribly. It was only a couple miles after all, but Eddy… The short boy had been dragging his feet since they left, and now he was pouting. They were going to take forever at this rate. He stopped and turned to glare.

“Hey, dork! Could you possibly be walking any slower?”

Eddy flipped up a middle finger in response. “We can’t all be the star of the baseball team, Shovelchin.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to walk like you’re fucking dying.” Kevin crossed his arms as Eddy came to a huffing stop beside him. “I swear Double D is in better shape than you are, and that’s saying something.”

Eddy’s hand shot out and caught a handful of Kevin’s shirt. “Don’t insult my best friend.”

Kevin shoved him off. “It’s not an insult to him, moron. It’s an insult to you. Or are you just too stupid to realize that?”

Eddy threw himself into Kevin’s gut. The pair went sprawling, sending up clouds of dust. Kevin lifted an arm to throw a punch, but Edd’s scowling face appeared in his mind. Growling, he lowered his fist and moved to pin Eddy to the ground instead. The short Ed took advantage of Kevin’s distraction and pulled legs up to kick at Kevin’s chest. The redhead fell backward with a shout. Eddy scrambled to his feet, but Kevin recovered faster than he’d expected. They clashed in the middle, each holding the other by the front of the shirt. Neither of them noticed the beat-up van pull off the road and stop behind them.

“You’re a real asshole, you know?” Eddy grunted.

“Takes one to know one!”

“Why, you—”

“Boys, boys! Break it up!”

A hand caught them each by the scruff of the neck and pulled. Kevin shook the hand off and stared at Eddy, breathing heavily. Eddy stood stunned. He looked terrified. His eyes were screaming. Kevin raised a brow and started to ask what his problem was, but a very familiar laugh broke his concentration. Full of dread, he turned to face the man who had broken them up.

“How’s it going, Pipsqueak?”

* * *

It took twenty minutes for Eddy’s brother to convince them to let him drive them into town. The seats had been taken out of the back to make room for a dirty mattress and a few suitcases filled with clothes and other essentials, so Kevin sat squished between the two brothers in the front seat. Eddy’s brother drove with one hand, the other arm resting on the car door and a slight grin on his face. Eddy slumped down in the seat with his arms folded across his chest. Kevin shifted uncomfortably between them, trying to avoid contact. The drive was short, but it seemed to take forever. Eddy was out of the van almost before it came to a complete stop in the mechanic shop parking lot. Kevin climbed out and shut the door gingerly, jogging to catch up to the two brothers.

“So…uh, you know the guy who runs this place?” the redhead asked.

Eddy’s brother snorted. “Yeah. I know the _guy_ who runs this place.” He held the door open for them, pushing when they weren’t going through fast enough. “Hey! Ariel!”

A high voice floated out from the workshop. “Shop don’t open ‘til noon.”

“Good thing it’s your favorite bitch and not some customer, then, huh?”

A tiny and messy brown head popped out from between two cars. “Puppy!”

The pixie of a girl darted with inhuman speed at Eddy’s brother and launched herself into his arms. He caught her with practiced ease and held her up as she kissed him, sliding her hands behind his head and up into his hair. She grasped his hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck. She ran her tongue in a line up his throat and took his lower lip in her teeth. She pulled and he followed, laughing. Suddenly noticing the two teenagers standing uncomfortably a safe distance away, she smirked.

“Who’re your friends?” she asked, teeth still biting down on his lip.

He tickled under her chin until she released him. “My little bro and his friend.”

“Not my friend,” Eddy muttered under his breath.

Ariel squealed. “This is Eddy?!” She hopped down and circled the short boy. When she came back around to the front, she leaned in to scrutinize his face. “Well, lucky you! You don’t look a thing like your brother.”

“Hey,” Eddy’s brother protested. “What’s what supposed to mean?”

“It means your little brother is actually cute,” she shot back. She threw herself back into his arms and leaned back dramatically. “And he’s taller than me! I thought you said he was a pipsqueak!”

He lifted her up and pressed his face into her stomach. “I haven’t seen him in years, baby. How was I supposed to know he’d grown into a handsome young man?”

Eddy scowled and looked away, cheeks tinted red. Kevin felt a little bit bad for him. _Okay, I feel really bad for him_. He debated for a moment before deciding to change the subject, hopefully taking the attention away from Eddy.

“So you’re a mechanic?” he asked Ariel.

She paused her theatrics and looked at him. “You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

“Why, because I’m a girl?” She hopped down and stalked toward him, growling.

“Nah, because you’re fucking tiny. Can you even lift a wrench?” He smirked down at her, eyes dancing playfully.

She grinned wickedly, stepped forward, and flipped him over her shoulder. “Come on, boys!” she called gleefully. “Let’s go talk in my office before someone sees us and thinks the shop’s open.” She scampered off, Kevin still hanging over her shoulder.

“After you,” Eddy’s brother said, holding an arm out.

Eddy folded his arms and stared suspiciously until his brother shrugged and sauntered off. He followed behind. They came around the corner to find Kevin and Ariel fawning over a deep red motorcycle. The two enthusiasts slowly circled the bike, pointing out features to each other and finishing each other’s sentences. Eddy rolled his eyes. _He’s acting like a love-sick school girl_. Eddy’s brother seemed to be thinking the same thing; he marched over, snatched Ariel up, and kissed her possessively. Ariel looked startled, then amused. When he pulled away, she patted his cheek before climbing up to sit on his shoulders.

“Don’t be jealous, Puppy. You’re the only man for me. Besides, this fire-headed cutie is clearly spoken for.”

Kevin glanced up. “How did you…?”

She tapped the side of her nose. “Woman instinct. Come on, let’s go! I know you’re not just here to visit.”

She rode on the shoulders of Eddy’s brother, pointing toward her office door. Once inside, he lowered her onto the edge of the desk. She motioned to the chairs in front of her and leaned forward to address Eddy.

“Lay it on me, hot stuff. What’s the problem?”

Eddy blushed again, but he held her gaze. “Our van blew a tire about two, two and a half, miles out of town. We don’t have a spare, and we don’t have that much money between us, so don’t expect much.”

“And do you even know how much this would cost?”

“Well, I don’t know the normal rates, but let’s just say that it takes an hour. At slightly higher than minimum wage that would be twelve dollars. A spare tire would cost around ninety dollars. Right, Shovelchin?”

Kevin started. “Uh, yeah.”

“And we don’t need a tow truck because Big Bro can give us a ride?”

Eddy’s brother nodded once.

“Add all of that up, and I’d say that one hundred and twenty dollars sounds reasonable. Plus, I get a discount for being handsome, right?”

Kevin snorted and Ariel threw her head back to laugh loudly. Eddy’s brother even cracked a grin.

“Oh, I like you,” Ariel declared. “Of course I’ll do it, and I’ll do it for free. Your brother can… _pay_ me later. Right, Puppy?”

Eddy made a gagging noise and Ariel laughed. She jumped off of the desk and walked out into the shop to get the things she would need to change the tire. With Kevin’s help, she loaded the tire, jack, and toolbox into the back of Eddy’s brother’s van. The sleazy man climbed in on the driver’s side and Eddy held the door open on the other side. Ariel looked between the two of them and grinned impishly.

“I have a great idea, Carrot Top. Let’s take my bike!” She took Kevin’s hand and pulled. “See you boys there! Catch us if you can!”

She shoved a helmet into Kevin’s arms, showing him how to fasten it, before yanking her own over her head. She slid onto the bike, her toes barely holding the bike up. Kevin flung his leg around behind her and raised a brow.

“Are you sure you can handle this with me on the back?” he asked.

In response, she revved the engine and cackled, zipping out of the garage and onto the main road without even checking traffic. Kevin lurched backward and then clawed his way back up to wrap his arms around her waist. He grinned. This was better than he’d expected. He would definitely have to get one of these when he had his license. She wove in and out of the light traffic on the highway. He whooped and hollered, and she smiled at his reaction. _Time to take this boy for a ride_ , she thought. When they passed Rolf’s van, he leaned forward to point it out to her. She nodded once but kept going, speeding up as they hit a clear stretch of road.

“Fuck yeah!” Kevin shouted, lifting off of her slightly so he could throw a fist into the air.


	36. Chapter 35

“Double D, Eddy has been gone forever! What if he’s a grandpa when he comes back?” Ed wailed.

“Ed, it’s only been an hour. I’m sure they’re only just getting to town. Eddy will be fine.” Edd gave his friend a reassuring pat on the hand. “Assuming, of course, that Kevin has not murdered him by now.”

Nazz cackled. “Oh, man! I can just hear them now.” She stood up from where she was leaning on the van, puffed her chest up, and jutted her chin out. “Hurry up, dork, or I’ll pound you!” she said in a comically deep voice.

Edd giggled, covering his mouth with his hand. “Shut up, Shovelchin! We can’t all be star athletes!”

Nazz’s eyes widened. “Wow, Double D. You do that really well.”

“He practices,” Ed said solemnly.

“Can it, Lumpy! I can’t believe I’m stuck here with this asshole. He couldn’t do it without me, though. No one knows money like me! I sure am stingy enough! I—” He took a step back and bumped into a barrier.

“Makin’ fun of my brother, Princess?”

The noise that came out of Edd’s mouth was not one that he knew he could make. Out of reflex, he tried to jump back, smacked into Eddy’s brother, and fell sideways awkwardly. He scrambled away on his backside until his back was pressed up against the van. A shadow fell over his feet as Ed took a protective stance in front of him. Nazz edged back, watching the man carefully. He laughed loudly, sliding his sunglasses into his pocket.

“Relax, guys,” came a familiar and comforting voice. Eddy closed the door as he got out of the car. “It’s fine.”

“Eddy?” Edd asked. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. “What is going on?”

The shorter boy shrugged. “He picked us up and gave us a lift to this shop. His girlfriend or whatever owns it. She said she’d fix the tire for free.”

“Well, that is certainly…nice,” Edd said. He kept his distance.

Eddy’s brother sensed the discomfort and moved away to lean against the hood of his van. “Speaking of, where is the little imp? She should be here by now. They left way before we did.”

Nazz raised a brow. “They?”

“Yeah,” Eddy jumped in. “Ariel and Kevin. Last we saw they were speeding away on that motorcycle of hers.”

“Oh, really.”

Edd’s voice was flat, his face expressionless. Ed took a few steps away. Eddy looked uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to speak, but a loud rumbling and a screech brought everyone’s attention to the highway. Ariel spun the bike sideways as she came to an abrupt halt, kicking up a large cloud of dust. She hopped off immediately, leaving Kevin to support the bike and put the kickstand down. She took her helmet off and shook her hair out, looking over the group with a broad smile. Kevin set the bike up behind her and handed her the spare helmet, grinning from ear to ear. He barely had a chance to thank her before Edd was in front of him shaking with anger.

“Kevin Barr, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded. He took hold of Kevin’s shirt and shook him lightly. “You could’ve been killed! Motorcycles are extremely dangerous, especially if you drive like a total maniac!” He directed the last comment at Ariel, frowning when she laughed him off. “And what were you doing with her in the first place? Eddy tells me you should have arrived before he did!”

Suddenly, Ariel’s head popped up in between them. She shoved Kevin back with a hip check, eyes locked with Edd’s. She circled him once, quickly, making soft noises of approval. Coming back to the front, she tucked her hands behind her and stood up on her toes.

“I see what’s going on here! This is the lucky fellow who holds young Carrot Top’s heart.” She sighed dramatically and fluttered her eyelashes. “True love! So beautiful.” She came back down on her heels. “You look like a smart one. A man of science. I heard a rumor once. I’d like to test it. Be my assistant?”

Flustered, Edd worried his lower lip. “I-I suppose. What did you have in mind?”

“Well…” She leaned forward, eyes flashing. “I heard once that gay guys are the best kissers.”

Grabbing his shirt and dragging him forward, she stood up on her toes to press their lips together. He gasped in surprise along with the rest of his friends, and she took the opportunity to shove her tongue into his mouth. After a few seconds, he came to his senses and lifted his hands to pull at her fingers. When she released his shirt, he stumbled back and rubbed his sleeve vigorously across his mouth. She laughed, then turned to Kevin.

“Lucky man!” she declared. “That was like kissing air!”

“I know,” he said through clenched teeth. “Don’t do it again.”

“Oh, jealous? Green suits you, Carrot Top. But hey, we all know it isn’t true science unless you do more than one test!”

She darted forward to plant a kiss on Kevin, but her lips met the palm of a hand instead. Startled, she opened her eyes and found Edd staring her down. His fingers closed firmly around her chin and he turned her to face him.

“I would appreciate it if you would refrain from touching my things,” he said sweetly. His eyes threatened total annihilation should she try again.

She held her hands up and backed away. “Alright, got it. Don’t touch your stuff.”

He whirled around, took a hold of Kevin’s shirt, and pulled him to Rolf’s van. He threw the door open and shoved the redhead in before slamming the door shut behind them.

“Uh…should we just change the tire now?” Eddy asked.

“Might want to give them a minute,” Nazz replied.

“Why?” Ed asked.

Rolf broke down laughing and walked over to slap Eddy’s brother on the back. “Anyone want lunch? Yes?”

* * *

Kevin hit his head on the far door as he was forced back into the van. Wincing, he rubbed the spot and stared at Edd. “Dude, what the hell?”

Edd crawled over him, face twisted in anger, and pulled him down underneath him. His mouth caught Kevin’s in a rough kiss while his fingers worked on pulling the neck of Kevin’s shirt to the side and off his shoulder.

“Edd, you’re gonna stretch it,” Kevin complained, the words muffled by Edd’s unrelenting lips.

Edd pulled back and placed a finger over Kevin’s mouth. “You are going to be quiet,” he stated. “I will not tolerate such behavior from you. Whoever that floozy is, she has no place in your life. I cannot comprehend what compelled you to get onto the back of her motorcycle, and I certainly do not understand why you would let her take you so far away from me for such an unnecessary length of time. She had no right, and I am appalled that you did not stop her.” His hand went behind Kevin’s neck and he pressed closer. “You are mine and no one else’s. You will learn this lesson now.”

“Edd,” he began, but he was silenced with a swift slap to the cheek. There was no force behind the hit, but he got the message. He clamped his mouth shut and leaned back, watching attentively. If Edd said he was going to learn, then he better pay attention.

Edd’s lips found his again, working at them with a passion that Kevin had not seen from the boy before. Their tongues met in the middle, but it wasn’t long before Edd forced him back, asserting himself with no room for question. When he had the redhead flushed and panting, Edd trailed his tongue down the strong jawline, nipped at his earlobe, and kissed down to the crook of his neck. He bit down hard, ignoring Kevin’s grunt of pain, and began sucking. His tongue flicked over the growing mark. His fingers slid down Kevin’s sides and then up under his shirt to scratch at the skin. Kevin gasped and moaned, hands grasping at Edd’s hips. Edd began to scrape his teeth over the mark periodically.

“Ah…Edd, that kind of hurts…”

Edd’s hand came up to grasp him by the chin, his thumb pressing down on Kevin’s tongue. “I believe I told you to be quiet.”

He pulled his thumb out slowly, swiping it across Kevin’s lip as he brought his face back down to Kevin’s neck. He lapped at the dark mark a few times, pleased with its appearance. He sat up and pulled Kevin with him. He pressed their foreheads together and slid his fingers up into the fiery hair.

“What did you learn today, Kevin?”

Kevin said nothing. Edd grinned.

“Very good. You have permission to speak now. What did you learn today?”

“I’m yours,” he mumbled, looking down at his lap.

Edd’s face softened. He tapped a finger under Kevin’s chin. “Kevin…” He wasn’t sure what to say. Perhaps he had been a little harsh. The thought made his brow crinkle. “Darling, I-I didn’t mean…”

Kevin glanced up, eyes dancing, and bit his lip. “You know, you’re pretty hot when you’re all aggressive.”

Just like that, the spell was broken. Sighing, Edd sat back so Kevin could pull himself up into a more comfortable position. The redhead did just that, and then reached out to pull Edd against his chest. Edd hummed and ran his fingers in a circle around the hickey.

“Don’t worry, dork.” Kevin ran his fingers down Edd’s back. “I know I’m yours. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He paused for a moment and then teased, “Though, that motorcycle is a close second.”

Edd slapped his arm in retaliation and he laughed. He sat up as tall as he could and noticed that Eddy’s brother’s van, the motorcycle, and all of their friends were missing. He grinned. He wrapped his hands around Edd’s wrists and pulled them behind his back.

“Looks like we’re alone. How about I teach you a lesson now?” he purred into Edd’s ear.

Edd’s fingers strained back to retrieve his bag from under the seat. Kevin let him, keeping his hands loosely around the other’s wrists. After fumbling for a moment, Edd pulled something out, made a quick movement with his hands, and Kevin found himself in handcuffs again.

“I don’t think so,” Edd replied with a lustful grin.

* * *

When they returned from the fast food joint down the road, Rolf went to the van to hand Kevin and Edd their food. He slid the door open and found Kevin sitting flushed and disheveled, the tips of his ears pink. One bright red mark glared out from his neck, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Rolf’s eyes. Edd reclined with his head in Kevin’s lap, casually reading a book. He looked up when Rolf opened the door and smiled.

“Oh, Rolf! Thank you for thinking of us. We really appreciate it, don’t we, Kevin?”

Kevin blushed and nodded. Rolf stared for a moment and then shook his head.

“Rolf does not want to know,” he said flatly. “Do not exit the car or the hyper pixie-lady will be squashed like the harvest berries under the tall Ed-boy’s feet.”

He shut the door again and walked away. Edd sat up and set his book to the side. He peered into the paper bag and then shoved his hand in. He held a fry up to Kevin’s lips.

“French fry, darling?”


	37. Chapter 36

When they finally got back on the road, Eddy had Ariel’s phone number. He spent the majority of the drive texting her, Ed hanging over his shoulder and laughing at her messages. Nazz took the front seat again, singing along with Rolf to a band that Edd had never heard of and did not particularly care for. He and Kevin had switched positions from earlier; the redhead reclined on the seat with his head in Edd’s lap, sound asleep. Edd read from his book, one hand absently smoothing the hair away from Kevin’s face. He thought back on the events of the day and felt a sharp tug in the pit of his stomach. He smiled to himself. He quite enjoyed his little moments of dominance, and Kevin seemed to as well, but it was exhausting. He wasn’t likely to try it again anytime soon. Tonight Kevin was planning on spending the night, and Edd was sure that things would be back to normal. He glanced down at the mark on Kevin’s neck and covered a grin with his hand.

A few long hours later, Rolf parked the van in the cul-de-sac and jumped out to stretch his back. Ed clambered out and picked the farmer up in a crushing hug, twisting to pop Rolf’s back. Rolf thanked him and pulled him around to the back to start unpacking, his hand lingering over Ed’s. Eddy and Nazz got out to help as well. Edd pulled Kevin’s hand up to his lips. The redhead stirred and yawned.

“Wake up, Kevin,” Edd cooed. “We’re home.”

“Mmm…really? Choice.” Kevin sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “Let’s go, then.”

He pulled Edd out of the van, picked their bags up from the back, nodded to Rolf and Nazz, and set off toward Edd’s house. Edd protested, trying to pry Kevin’s fingers from the front of his shirt.

“Kevin! We haven’t said goodbye. I haven’t thanked Rolf for inviting us! My friends…”

“They know you appreciate it. We’ve seen enough of them. Now unlock your door.”

Once inside, Kevin followed Edd up to his room and watched from the bed as he put his belongings away. He held his arms out and Edd settled down beside him. They cuddled for a while, talking about nothing in particular. At one point, Kevin fell asleep again and Edd had to wake him to prevent him from disrupting his sleep schedule. Grinning, Edd stood and pulled Kevin out of bed.

“Come, let’s watch a movie or something. We need to keep you awake.”

Kevin wrapped an arm around Edd’s waist and fell back onto the bed, holding Edd firmly in place on top of him. “I can think of better ways to keep me awake.”

* * *

In the back of his mind, Edd knew that he was going to have to wash the sheets again, but at that moment he couldn’t bring himself to care. He grunted at the slight pain of Kevin pressing into him, squeezing freckled shoulders for support. Kevin waited until Edd was comfortable, kissing every inch of his face in the meantime. When Edd nodded, he pulled back, whining in the back of his throat. They worked up a rhythm quickly, familiar with each other’s movements. Edd’s hands dropped to the sheets to grip at the fabric and his head pressed back into the pillow. He moaned openly with each thrust.

“Fuck, Edd…”

“Yes, you are.”

Kevin laughed breathlessly. “Sassy little shit. Maybe I should stop.”

“ _God_ , no! Don’t…a-ah!”

Picking up the pace, Kevin inched a hand over to link fingers with Edd. His head strained back, breath coming out in puffs. With his free hand, Edd began to stroke himself off. He was close, so close…just a bit more… With Kevin’s name on his lips, he came between them, his body tensing. The redhead followed a beat later, burying his strangled whine in the crook of Edd’s neck. They lay in a sweaty pile for a moment, enjoying the afterglow. Edd ran his fingers up and down Kevin’s back, humming. After a moment, Kevin lifted his head and gave Edd a crooked grin.

“Shower time?”

Edd leaned up for a lingering kiss. “Shower time.”


	38. Chapter 37

Another year, another party at Nazz’s house. This one was even louder than the last one; Edd shuddered to think how chaotic their senior party would be. Teenagers seemed to spawn from the very walls. Surely having this many people in one house was a fire hazard. They must be breaking some sort of room capacity law, in addition to the underage drinking and noise curfew violations. None of the neighbors reported the party. In a town as small as Peach Creek, most adults were glad to have the kids in a house and off the streets. No one saw a problem in letting the rare party slide beneath the radar. Edd resented this.

Holding tightly to a bottle of water, the thin boy sat in a corner of the only properly-lit room in the house: the kitchen. Teenagers came and went quickly. They were there for snacks and drinks, not to socialize. They had the rest of the house for slurred conversations and sloppy make outs. Eddy leaned against the kitchen table and sipped from a plastic cup, his third drink of the night. Edd could see his friend’s cheeks reddening and watched with mild amusement as his attempts to hit on girls got progressively worse. Finally, Eddy slammed the cup down on the table and glared at Edd.

“Would you lighten the fuck up?”

Edd blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re drinking water at a party, Sockhead. And sitting on a chair. You could be dancing and talking to chicks—er, or dudes. Whatever. You’re boring. Where the hell is Ed?”

“I believe he is in the living room, Eddy. He seems to be quite the popular dance partner, although I would hardly call what he does dancing.”

Eddy rolled his eyes. “Right, because you could do better.”

Edd opened his mouth with a comeback, but Kevin chose that moment to fall into his lap. “Hello, Kevin. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Hell yes.” Kevin rubbed his face on Edd’s thigh before straightening up and leaning against the wall. “Are you?”

“No, he’s fucking not,” Eddy interjected. “He won’t drink anything, and he’s just been sitting on this damn chair since we got here.”

Kevin frowned. “Edd.”

“Oh, don’t you take that tone with me, mister.” Edd waggled a finger at him. It didn’t have the effect he wanted it to, so he put it away again. “We are not of legal age, and I will not be participating.”

“Fair enough,” Kevin nodded. “But why aren’t you out there having fun?”

“I wouldn’t call any of that fun, Kevin.”

Kevin gave him a look. He stood up and took Eddy’s arm, drawing him aside. Edd watched, curious and annoyed, as they exchanged quick words. Kevin caught Edd staring and threw an arm around Eddy’s shoulders to turn him away. A few seconds later, they parted with a fist bump. Kevin waved as he disappeared into the living room again and Eddy took his place at the table.

"What was that about?” Edd demanded.

“What was _what_ about?” Eddy glanced over at him with a smirk and took a sip from his cup. Edd folded his arms and huffed. Eddy slurped down the rest of his drink. “I’m getting a refill. Want me to get you another water?”

Edd looked down at his bottle. It was practically empty. “Yes, thank you.”

After Eddy walked away, Edd hopped off of the stool and inched his way along the wall to peer into the dark living room. He spotted Ed easily. Even surrounded by jocks, he stood nearly a head taller than anyone else. Edd shook his head, smiling. His eyes searched the room for a familiar shock of red hair and found it easily. Kevin stood in the middle of a large group of people, Mr. Popularity to the core. Edd frowned to see one of the cheerleaders hanging on his shoulder, a frown that deepened when Kevin made no move to brush her off. He went back to his stool and sat heavily, feeling a sudden desire to go home.

“Here.”

A cup was pressed into his hand. The contents were brown. “Eddy, this isn’t water.”

“They were out of water bottles. It’s just root beer, chill.” Eddy took a large gulp of his own drink.

Hesitantly, Edd sipped at the liquid. His nose wrinkled up. “Eddy, this tastes funny. Are you certain it is just root beer?”

“Yeah, it’s that nasty generic shit. No big deal. Just drink it, Double D.”

Eddy tipped the cup up. Rather than allow the sticky liquid to spill onto his shirt, he opened his mouth and swallowed quickly. He made a noise of complaint, but Eddy didn’t relent. Soon the cup was empty and Edd was left gasping for breath.

“Eddy! Was that really necessary?” He wiped his mouth.

“Yep. You should be feeling the buzz any time now.”

Edd’s eyes widened in horror. “E-Eddy?!”

The short boy laughed and grabbed Edd’s wrist. He pulled him into the living room and shoved him forward. The crowd closed behind him, leaving him stranded in a sea of sweaty strangers. He made a strangled noise and tried to avoid touching anyone. Thankfully, the music had been turned off. Someone at the front of the living room seemed to be announcing something, but Edd spun around to find Eddy.

“Hey, Sockhead!”

Edd quickly located the source of the voice. “Eddy! What is the meaning of this?”

“Raise your hand!”

“What?”

“Raise your hand!”

Hesitantly, Edd put his hand into the air. “I don’t see what this is supposed to accom—”

“Looks like we have a volunteer!”

Suddenly, hands were all over him pushing him forward and slapping him on the back. He was lifted up onto the coffee table and handed a microphone. In the back of the room, Eddy and Kevin were falling over each other laughing. He looked back and forth between them and the microphone, mouth hanging open in confusion. When music began blaring out of the speakers behind him, he jumped and the crowd around him laughed. He recognized the song; it was one that he knew from long and unfortunate afternoons listening to Kevin’s music, but… Something was different. No one was singing. He glanced down at the microphone in his hand and felt his face grow red.

“Oh, no! No, no, no! I will not!” He held the microphone out, begging for someone to take it. “Eddy, I will murder you! They will never find your body!”

“You can do it, Edd!” Kevin shouted.

The crowd took his lead and began to chant Edd’s name. The boy blushed, waving his hands around. Kevin nodded to the guy at the karaoke machine. He restarted the song. Edd held the microphone close to his body with both hands. He stumbled over his cue, voice shaking, but the reaction from the group was encouraging. His head felt light all of a sudden, and he took a deep breath. When he let it out, his singing was steady. A few kids cheered him on. By the second chorus, he let his body relax, swaying his hips to the beat. He struggled to remember the lyrics late in the song, but the teenagers around him picked up where he left off. At the end of the song, the house shook with the cheers. Edd handed the microphone off to an unsteady-looking girl and stepped off the table. As he walked toward the back of the living room, he was met with a barrage of claps on the back. He coughed a few times when he reached Kevin.

“Don’t think you’re just going to get away with this,” he threatened.

Kevin laughed and grabbed him up in a side hug. “Understood.”

“Hey, Kev! He’s your tutor, right?” One of Kevin’s team members held out his fist. Edd looked at it hesitantly before meeting it with his own fist. The guy laughed. “Dude, he’s hilarious! That was awesome! Later, dork!” He gave Edd a broad smile and walked away.

Edd wasn’t given a single moment of peace for the rest of the night. He was dragged from one group to another as people fought for his attention. He accepted a few drinks, and when they left, Kevin had to practically carry him up the stairs and into his room, not even bothering to leave their shoes in the hall.

“Kevin, that was amazing! I never knew that social interaction could be so…fun!” Edd giggled, squirming away as Kevin tried to undress him.

“Edd, hold the fuck still! You don’t want to sleep in your jeans, do you?”

“Oh. No, I don’t. Sorry.” He pressed a hand over his mouth for a moment, but an overwhelming urge overtook him. He leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend before burping suddenly. “Whoops.”

Kevin laughed. “Gross, dude. Come on, let’s just go to bed.”


	39. Chapter 38

“Hey, dork!”

Edd flinched and pressed up against his locker. _Oh, not today, please…_ He was tired and irritated. Sunday found him waking up late and with a headache, guilt over his alcohol consumption catching up to him the second his eyes were open. Kevin kept him in bed for a few hours, finally slipping out well into the afternoon. Edd’s entire schedule had been thrown off. His chores took much longer than they should have, and he fell asleep on his homework twice before finally finishing and dragging himself back to bed. At school the next morning, he narrowly avoided being splashed when Ed dropped a rather large container of gravy. Eddy had not been so lucky. Grumbling and swearing, the short boy dragged the tall one off to the bathroom, leaving Edd to retrieve his books from his locker on his own. The last thing he needed was a confrontation.

“Dork!” the voice repeated.

Sighing in defeat, Edd turned. “How may I be of assistance?”

A rather large senior—Edd recognized him from the football team but didn’t have a name to put to the face—stood leaning casually against the lockers. His arms were folded across his chest and his smile appeared genuine. Edd relaxed and offered an uncertain smile of his own.

“Dude, do you always talk like that?”

“Ah…yes?”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Man, you’re hilarious!”

Edd laughed nervously. “Am I?”

“Hell yeah, man! Listen, I’m having a party next next weekend. Not this weekend. The one after. You should totally come!”

Nearly dropping his books in surprise, Edd stammered out, “Me?”

“Yeah! Bring some more of those science jokes you were telling!”

“I told science jokes?” Edd felt his face heat up. He had no recollection of telling science jokes.

“Yeah, like…what was that one…oh! What element is the super element? Sodium, because the symbol is Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Batman! Dude, I fucking _cried_ , that was so funny. But yeah, you should come. Big Ed knows the deets.”

“Deets?”

“Yeah, you know…the details. He’s like your best friend, right?”

Edd nodded, eyes wide.

“Great! Just ask him. See you around, dork!”

Edd watched him go. “What?”

The warning bell jarred him from his thoughts. He scurried down the hall and into his classroom, taking his seat just before the final bell rang. The flurry of schoolwork quickly distracted him, and he didn’t give the incident another thought until he met with Ed and Eddy outside of the cafeteria. The story jumped to the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it. Eddy might not react favorably to it for whatever reason. He could ask Ed about it in private. They entered the cafeteria, planning on yet another quiet lunch at their usual table. These plans were destroyed instantly by a grinning blonde.

“Greetings, Nazz!” Edd smiled broadly.

“Hey, dudes! What’s up?”

“It’s lunch time, Nazz!” Ed shouted.

She covered her ears but nodded at him. “Hey, why don’t you guys sit with us for lunch?”

The three Eds stared at her as if she had tree branches growing out of her ears for a moment before dissolving in laughter. She huffed and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

“What’s the big deal?” she demanded.

Eddy found it in him to control his laughter. He slung an arm around her shoulder. “Nazz, honey. Think about what you just did. You asked _us_ …” He gestured at his two friends. “…to sit with _them_.” He waved his hand toward table where Kevin sat with a handful of other jocks and cheerleaders. “Do you see the problem here? Does Double D need to draw you a diagram?”

“No, you jerk.” She ducked out from under Eddy’s arm. “Look, I’m being nice here. They only want Double D, to be honest.”

“M-Me?”

“Him?”

Edd and Eddy spoke in unison, shared a knowing glance, and began laughing again. Students at the tables near them began to edge away. Edd snapped his mouth shut and nudged Eddy with his elbow.

“Eddy, we are causing a scene. Perhaps we should at least attempt to control the volume of our laughter.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” Eddy wiped his eyes and smiled at Nazz. “Well, fine. Take Sockhead if you want him. I’ll just go with Ed and…wait, where the hell did Lumpy go?!”

Edd spun around and sure enough there was no sign of the large teen. “Huh. That’s…odd.”

Nazz bounced in between them and took Eddy’s arm. “I propose a compromise! I’ll take widdle fwightened Eddy, and Edd can go sit with Kevin. It’s perfect.”

“I suppose that could be acceptable…” Edd glanced back at the table and was startled to find Kevin staring at him. He waved shyly, and Kevin grinned, waving him over enthusiastically. “Yes, that could be quite agreeable.”

“Good! It’s settled. Let’s go, you,” she said, waving goodbye as she took Eddy by the ear and dragged him from the cafeteria.

Edd inched toward the table until Kevin finally just stretched out, grabbed ahold of his shirt, and dragged him up to the table. All conversation ceased immediately, and Edd twisted his lunchbox over in his hands.

“S-Salutations!” he offered.

Kevin returned to his meal, watching out of the corner of his eye with an amused smile. A few of the cheerleaders gave him a once-over and remained silent, but a member of the baseball team stood up abruptly and held out his hand.

“Sup. I’m Jonathan. You must be the dork.”

Edd took the hand and shook it as firmly as he could, which as it turned out was not very firmly at all. “Ah…yes. My name is E—”

“Double D,” Kevin supplied.

“Right. Double D. Well, hey. Sit down.”

Jonathan waved to the empty space between Kevin and a boy Edd recognized as Matt. Matt seemed rather less than pleased to have Edd there, shifting away when the skinny boy took his seat and returning Edd’s friendly smile with a scowl. Edd looked to Kevin for assistance, but the girl across from him leaned over the table suddenly.

“So you’re, like, super smart, right?”

“I suppose…”

“That’s totally awesome! I don’t look smart or whatever, but I’m really good at math! I’m in geometry this year!”

“That’s fantastic!” Edd replied. He slid his bag containing his calculus book a little further under his chair.

“You sing really well!” a brunette from the other end of the table chimed in.

“Yeah, dude! And your jokes killed me!”

Edd received a hearty slap on the back from the guy on the other side of Matt. He coughed a bit and everyone laughed. Kevin gave his knee a quick squeeze under the table. Lunch passed by quickly, full of jokes and a variety of questions regarding Edd’s hobbies and interests. When the bell rang, he was jostled around with them as they gathered their things, splitting up outside the cafeteria to go to their classes. Kevin bumped Edd with his hip.

“That wasn’t so bad, huh?”

“No, I suppose not.” Edd smiled.

“Hey, Double D!” The little brunette gave a wave as she passed. “See you tomorrow!”


	40. Chapter 39

Kevin stood next to Edd’s locker rubbing his eyes and yawning. Edd slowly sorted through his books, pulling out the ones he needed and squinting at them before shoving them into his bag. He glanced up in time to watch another yawn split Kevin’s face and grinned as it sent a yawn onto his own face. Kevin laughed and nudged him with his hip.

“Come on, dork. We’re going to be late.”

Edd shut his locker as Kevin shoved himself off the wall. Together they began to wade through the unpredictable current of students mingling in the halls. Edd chattered away about his science fair project, hands flitting about animatedly, bright eyes trained on Kevin’s face. He was paying little attention to where he was going, bumping into several people and nearly falling to his death after tripping on a stray backpack on the ground. Kevin threw an arm around Edd’s shoulders to direct him through the halls, smiling and nodded at what he determined to be the appropriate places in Edd’s narrative.

Edd resisted the urge to lean into Kevin, instead keeping a reasonable distance between their bodies. Kevin did in fact manage to maintain straight A grades for the entire first semester. This semester he was struggling with a B grade in math, but Edd was confident that he could pull it up. Of course, this meant that Kevin had earned the right to keep their relationship a secret, much to Edd’s unspoken disappointment. He couldn’t complain; after all, it had been his idea, and he was exceptionally proud of Kevin for keeping his grades up. Besides…

He smiled up at Kevin, back hunched slightly to accommodate for the muscular arm resting on him. Thanks to Kevin and Nazz’s combined efforts, Edd had been generally accepted into the “cool” crowd as their pet dork. Between tutoring sessions, science jokes at parties, and the unintentional hilarity that was his speech pattern, Edd had earned himself a special place in their collective heart. The fortunate result of this was an open friendship between Kevin and Edd, allowing them to hang out at lunch and in between classes without attracting suspicion. Even an arm around the shoulder could go unnoticed if they were careful. It was practically heaven, as far as Kevin was concerned. Edd could stand to change a few things, but a deal was a deal, and he would just have to wait until their senior year.

Classes flew by with the promise of seeing his favorite redhead in between them. Before Edd knew it, the lunch bell was ringing. He retrieved his lunch from his locker and entered the cafeteria, scanning the lunch line for Ed and Eddy. Today was their day to have him at lunch, and to be honest, Edd was glad for it. It was exhausting socializing at the highest level of the high school pyramid. He had no idea how Kevin and Nazz managed all the time. _Ah! There they are._ He took a step toward his friends. A hand on the back of his shirt brought him to a halt. He flinched and peeked over his shoulder.

“Oh, Jonathan. It’s you.” Edd let out a laugh and adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yeah, listen. I know today’s the day you sit with those dweeb—I mean, your friends. But I was wondering if maybe you could skip out just this once? We want to talk to you about something.”

“Oh…” Edd glanced back at Eddy. His short friend stared back and motioned him over. He bit his lip, debating.

“Come on, dude. Please? It’s kind of super important.”

“Oh, I suppose. I’ll join you in a moment. Let me inform my friends that I will not be sitting with them today.”

Eddy took in Edd’s apologetic smile as he walked up, and sighed. “You aren’t gonna sit with us, are you.”

Edd winced and nodded. “I do apologize. Something has come up, apparently. I would like to make it up to the both of you. Perhaps pizza and a movie at my house for dinner tonight?”

Ed clapped his hands, jumping up and down. “Oh! Oh! Can I pick the movie?”

“Sure, whatever, Lumpy. Quit bouncing around before you step on someone. Alright, Sockhead. See you after school, I guess. Go hang out with your cool friends now. Like we care.” Eddy turned back to the line, pulling a tray down from the stack and walking quickly away.

Ed hugged Edd quickly. “Don’t worry, Double D. He’s just a grumpy goat today. Like Rolf’s goat!”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Ed.”

“See you, Double D! Don’t forget to eat your gravy!”

Edd gave a small wave and took his place at the table next to Kevin. A quick squeeze of the knee served as a greeting, but Edd’s attention was swiftly captured by Jonathan and a few cheerleaders sitting across from them.

“Okay, Double D. You’re the smartest guy we know,” Jonathan began. The girls around him nodded their agreement. “We have finals coming up, right? Well, the school just made a new rule that if you don’t have passing grades on your finals, you don’t get to be on any teams.”

“Including cheer squad!” a mousey brunette piped up.

“Yeah. So we need you to tutor us. Think you can help us out, man?”

Edd sighed, smiling. “But of course! I would be more than happy to assist you. Perhaps a group session, say…twice a week? There are four weeks after spring break before finals arrive. Eight study sessions should be quite sufficient.”

“Sweet! But, uh…it’s not just us.”

Edd wrinkled his brow. “Oh? Who else?”

“Well…like, most of the baseball team, half the football team, all of the cheerleaders…” Jonathan grinned apologetically.

“Oh, dear.” The hand on his knee tightened, drawing his attention to the mildly irritated look Kevin was struggling to keep off his face. Edd quickly returned his gaze to meet Jonathan’s. He worried his lip, but in the end his desire to promote learning won out. “Well, I suppose I could make it work. I can hold a session every day, but I can only fit so many people into my living room. I’ll post a signup sheet on the bulletin board near the locker room?”

“Yeah, man! I _knew_ you’d come through for us!”

Edd awkwardly received a fist bump as the girls cheered. Lunch resumed the usual overbearing chatter. It seemed louder today than usual, planting the seeds of a headache that Edd knew he would regret later, especially with Ed coming over later. He focused on his sandwich, responding to the few comments directed at him with a simple nod, and left the cafeteria early. Slipping into a desk in his empty classroom, he pulled out his planner and tapped his pen thoughtfully on his chin. This was going to be tricky, but he could manage if he was careful with his time. Meticulously, he began to fill in the empty squares.

* * *

“I’ve been drawing up a few tentative schedules for our spring break this year, gentlemen. I’ve included the usual movie nights and ice cream excursions, but I thought this year, since we can legally drive, that perhaps we should look at driving into the city one day…yes, Eddy? What is it?”

Eddy nudged at the empty pizza box on the table with his toe. “I need to tell you guys something.”

Ed perked up from his television-induced stupor. “What is it, Eddy? Did you get abducted by aliens?”

“No, you idiot! Would I be sitting on Double D’s couch if aliens abducted me?”

“Eddy…” Edd warned.

“Ugh. Whatever. Anyway…” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’m not gonna be in town for spring break.”

“What?” Edd sat up quickly. “Why not?”

“Well…”

“Spill your beans, Eddy! We must grow a beanstalk!”

“I’m getting there! Hold your damn horse, Ed. God. Uh, I’ve been talking to Ariel a lot lately.”

“Ariel…?” Edd searched his brain for a person to place with the name. “Oh, you mean that harpy your brother associates with.”

“She’s not a harpy!”

“Agree to disagree. Continue.”

Eddy rolled his eyes. “Whatever. She invited me to go camping with the two of them, and…I think I’m gonna go.”

Ed sat straight up. “But your brother is a jerk, Eddy.”

“I concur.” Edd set a hand on Eddy’s arm. “That man has brought you nothing but heartache. I don’t see how it could possibly be a good idea to go spend any length of time around him.”

“Look, I think he’s changed. I mean, he’s still an ass. But he’s not so mean. And Ariel’s a great friend. She’s kept me updated. I think she wants me and my bro to reconnect and bond or some shit, but whatever. I want to go.”

Edd sighed. “I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”

Grinning, Eddy tugged at the end of Edd’s hat. “Nope.”

With a frown, Edd stood and began cleaning up the mess. “Well, then. I trust you’ll keep us informed?”

“Sure. If I have cell service, I’ll text you.”

Ed scooped Eddy up into a crushing hug. “I’ll miss you!” he yelled. “Don’t forget about me!”

“Ed! I’ll only be gone for, like, five days! Put me down, dammit!”

“Double D must join our tender embrace! Who knows what dangers you will face on the mountain of doom? Be strong, little Skipper, be strong!”

“ED!”


	41. Chapter 40

Three weeks after spring break and Edd was exhausted. He’d completely overestimated his ability to juggle group tutoring sessions, Kevin’s private tutoring sessions, his own studies, and his chores, not to mention the movie nights that Ed and Eddy demanded at least once a week. Twice now he’d fallen asleep in the middle of some low-budget thriller. His grades were slipping, not that he’d ever mention that to anyone; even Kevin would laugh to hear Edd complaining about an A- grade. _One more week_ , he reminded himself. _Just one, and then I can rest._ Oh, but it was difficult. These athletes were utterly hopeless, more interested in teasing each other and throwing things across the room than studying. They expected some sort of miracle out of Edd with little to no effort on their part, and it was terrifying. He was sure to be pounded into a quivering mess when they all failed, as they inevitably would, all of them but Jennifer.

The brunette cheerleader, the tallest girl on the squad with a rebellious streak of hot pink behind her ear, had proven Edd incorrect again and again. Not only did she show up to multiple sessions a week, but she seemed to be making a genuine effort to apply herself. The progress she was making in her mathematics skills was utterly astonishing. She sat on the floor just in front of him and took careful notes. Edd loved her to death, the one silver lining to these rowdy and unproductive sessions. This week she’d signed up for an extra session and Edd was absolutely delighted. She took her regular place on the carpet in front of him, giving him a warm smile that he easily returned. He clapped his hands together to end the chatter and announced the beginning of the session. He was just flipping to the second page of notes on his clipboard when the front door opened again. Edd ignored it—latecomers were fairly common—until the room erupted with noise.

“Ohh! Kevin’s here! Everybody look! Kev’s here! What’s up, Kev?”

Edd watched in confused silence as the redhead made his way across the room, grinning and bumping fists with his friends. He wedged himself in the space between the coffee table and the couch, just behind Jennifer. Edd caught his eye, and they looked at each other for a moment.

“Sorry I’m late. Carry on, dork.”

Edd started, mumbled an apology, and began the lesson. He watched Kevin whenever he could. Something felt off. There was an emotion behind his boyfriend’s eyes that he couldn’t quite place. His mind raced, thinking back through the events of the last several weeks. Was there something that he’d forgotten? He couldn’t think of anything, but it had to be something…

“Uh…Double D?”

“Huh?” Edd came to his senses and look around the room. Everyone was staring at him. He felt a blush creep up his cheeks. “W-What?”

“Dude, you were standing there muttering ‘think, think, think’ over and over.”

“Was I? A-Anyway…who has an answer for question number fifteen?”

“…Twenty-two?”

“Four hundred?”

"Fifty!”

“Aw, man, you got fifty? That’s what I got!”

Jennifer’s hand shot straight up into the air. “Three hundred and fifty-seven?”

“Correct, as usual. Jennifer, I could kiss you,” Edd sighed in relief.

“That could be arranged,” she responded coyly. She turned her face so her cheek was to him, and he blushed. “Come on, dorky. Lay one on me! I bet you have the softest li—OW!”

“Oh, my god, I’m so sorry!” Kevin exclaimed. “I had this massive cramp in my leg and it just went out of control!”

“You kicked me in the ass!” she whined.

“Well, maybe Double D can kiss that instead, since you’ve been kissing his all afternoon.”

“Kevin Barr!” Edd shouted. “That is enough!”

Silence fell over the room. Edd’s cheeks were red from anger this time, eyes locked with Kevin’s in a silent battle. Kevin won, but his victory was short-lived. Edd announced an early end to the tutoring session, promising to make up for it on a later day. The expression on his face told Kevin all he needed to know; as his teammates and friends filed out he stayed behind, only moving to shift from the floor to the couch. Edd shut the door behind his guests and leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh, one that Kevin caught. He stood and cautiously made his way into the front hall.

“Uh…babe?”

“Kevin, I hope I’m being clear when I say that your actions were _entirely_ uncalled for.” Edd crossed his arms, fingers drumming against his upper arm as he waited for a response.

“Come on, she was hitting on you! What was I supposed to do?”

“Let me handle it! I’m not a child, Kevin. I’m old enough to take care of myself. I’m not even your boyfriend to them!”

“Woah, woah, woah! Don’t _even_ go there. This was your idea, remember? I get good grades and you keep your mouth shut until senior year.”

“Oh, this is rich coming from the guy who just about gave us both away over a petty fight with a _girl_ who was hitting on a _gay boy_! And speaking of your grades, how’s that B in math going? I assume not well, considering that you deemed it necessary to interrupt one of my group tutoring sessions. What, are your private sessions not enough?”

“Hey, do me a favor and use that big brain of yours to think back to the last time we even had a study session.”

“Don’t be childish, Kevin. We had one last Thursday.”

“Did we? Did we really?”

Edd opened his mouth to snap a retort, but it stuck in his throat. No, they hadn’t. Now that he thought about it, he and Kevin hadn’t spent any length of time together in over a week. He shut his mouth again, looking sheepish. Kevin crossed his arms and nodded.

“That’s what I thought,” the redhead said quietly.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment. With a sigh, Kevin turned back to the living room. He flopped down on the couch and pulled out his homework. When Edd followed him around the corner, he didn’t look up.

“Let’s just get this over with. I know you have chores and shi—stuff.”

Swallowing his guilt, Edd took a seat next to his boyfriend and sighed. “Alright. Polynomials. This should be interesting.”

* * *

The following Friday school let out a block early to give students more time to study for finals coming up on Monday. All after school activities were cancelled, including sports practices and club meetings. When the bell rang, students flooded the halls, chattering about weekend plans, but Edd stayed in his seat. The classroom emptied in record time and he let his head fall to the desk. Finally, he could have a moment of peace. Worried clouded his mind, not for his own finals but for the finals of everyone he’d been tutoring. Beyond the fear of a beating should they fail, he genuinely wanted to see these people pass. Many of them he now considered his friends. They had all put a lot of effort into it—Edd, of course, providing most of the effort—and it would be nice to see them succeed.

Another worry tickled at the back of his mind. He hadn’t so much as spoken to Kevin since the disaster of a tutoring session earlier that week. No texts, no calls, not even a hello in the halls. He avoided the redhead at lunch, choosing to sit on the other side of the cafeteria with Ed and Eddy instead. He was nervous; he knew this was his fault. He’d neglected Kevin. Each passing day only made him more nervous, and here he was on Friday afternoon with no plans to make today the day to apologize either. He checked his phone with a sigh and was very surprised to see the text icon flashing. He held his breath as he opened the message.

 [meet me in the locker room. now.]

Without a second thought, Edd was on his feet and out the door. He hurried to the gym, holding his phone tightly. The halls were mostly empty, allowing him to break into his dorky run without fear of teasing. A variety of possible explanations for the text flashed through his mind, but he shoved them away. He would see when he arrived.

The lights in the gym were off, the P.E. teacher long gone. The large room looked deserted save for the sliver of light spilling across the hardwood floor near the back of the building. Edd moved toward it, sneakers squeaking on the floor. His nerves suddenly caught up to him, and he slowed to a stop just outside the door, wringing his hands and worrying his lip. He ran through an apology several times in his head before a sudden voice made him jump.

“I know you’re out there, dork.”

“Y-Yes. I’m coming.”

Edd pushed the door open, wincing at the light. As his eyes adjusted, he glanced around. Kevin was nowhere in sight. Edd made his way slowly down the edge of the room, peering down the rows of lockers. At the very end, he found the redhead leaning up against the wall inspecting his nails.

“Hello,” Edd offered.

“Sup?” Kevin glanced up through his lashes briefly. “You got here fast.”

“Oh…yes, I came as soon as I received your message.”

“Hmm.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Edd’s nerves began to flare up again. He pulled at the hem of his shirt. Clearing his throat a few times, he opened his mouth to ask about Kevin’s day. A strong hand interrupted his words, fisting around his shirt and spinning him around to slam him into the lockers. He winced, more from the loud noise than any kind of pain.

“K-Kevin?”

“Shh.” Kevin’s other hand pressed firmly to Edd’s mouth. “You just lost the right to talk. How does that make you feel?” Edd’s muffled protests only caused him to shake his head. “No, no. I said…” He leaned in, brushing their noses together. “…you don’t get to talk.” His words were met with wide-eyed silence. “Good little dork.”

The hand at Edd’s mouth slid up into dark hair, the other around Edd’s back to pull the thin frame up against him. Edd obediently kept his mouth shut, eyes searching Kevin’s. He must have looked concerned, because Kevin’s expression softened. He nuzzled his nose against the other’s cheek, pressing kisses to the corner of quivering lips.

“Don’t look so worried, dork.” His nose brushed across to Edd’s ear. “I missed you,” he murmured, taking the lobe between his teeth.

He received the shuddering gasp he expected. His tongue darted out to sooth the bite, tracing up the shell of Edd’s ear. He exhaled hotly, a low moan building in the back of his throat. He could feel Edd getting hard against him. Swallowing a victory grin, he let his hands wander, pressing his body to Edd’s. The dark-haired teen found himself reaching for Kevin, taking his face gently in hand and turning to catch smiling lips with his own. He swiped his tongue across Kevin’s lips, begging entrance, and the redhead happily obliged. His hips rolled lazily against the smaller boy, tongue tangling with Edd’s, hands up each other’s shirts, shirts that a few short seconds later were discarded in favor of skin-on-skin contact.

Hot flesh seared as fingertips traced patterns down a pale chest. In return, nails drew out red lines across a broad back, a desire-filled moan echoing from the walls. Kevin’s hands trailed down Edd’s sides, suddenly gave his ass a squeeze, and then hooked around slender thighs. Lifting, he pressed them both into the locker, Edd wrapping his legs around his waist, the sudden pressure drawing out a heated moan from the both of them. They kissed hungrily, sloppily, all teeth and tongue and bitten lips, until finally Kevin couldn’t stand it anymore. Hand braced against Edd’s back, he spun around, eyes darting around the room for a suitable spot. He debated bending the little dork over the bench, but a glance at Edd’s face ended those thoughts. Rosy cheeks, pearly teeth sunk into a swollen lip, half-lidded eyes filled with a desire meant only for the redhead…no, Kevin wanted to watch, see his expression as the thin boy came undone beneath him, fell apart at his hands.

He carried his boyfriend to the wrestling mats piled up in the corner. Edd would throw a fit about that later, but in the moment he was simply too far gone to care. Kevin placed kisses all over his face, kisses that he eagerly reciprocated, pecking at Kevin’s cheeks, chin, lips, anything he could reach. Strong, steady hands slid down his neck and spread across his chest, fingertips intent on memorizing every inch of skin. Slowly, affectionately, those loving hands made their way down to his hips, pausing along the way to twist and pinch at sensitive buds, scratch lightly at his sides. Kevin’s fingers deftly undid the button of Edd’s jeans, making quick work of the zipper before disappearing inside to palm the other’s length. Edd bucked up, crying out softly. The redhead pressed their lips together, intent on catching that cry and making it his own. With a parting nip, he withdrew and tenderly pulled jeans and boxers down and away in one smooth movement.

“You look fantastic, baby,” he murmured. He let his eyes explore before flicking up to meet the other’s gaze, and Edd smiled shyly. He leaned up for a kiss, and Kevin indulged him, whispering his thoughts between kisses. “So beautiful…” Kiss. “So sexy…” Kiss. “So perfect…” Kiss. “So _mine_ …”

“Yours,” Edd promised with a kiss to the nose. His fingers hooked around Kevin’s belt loops and tugged. “Your turn.”

Kevin kicked the rest of his clothes off and returned to kneel in between Edd’s legs. Blue eyes returned the compliment, drinking in the sight. A smile fit onto Edd’s lips and he sat up to run his fingers over the other’s length. The touch was gentle, void of any pressure, a show of appreciation and devotion, and it drove Kevin over the edge. He retrieved the packet of lube from his pocket and nearly spilled it everywhere in his haste to rip it open. As he slicked up a few fingers, Edd leaned over to dig a condom from Kevin’s wallet. He set it on his chest and lay back, resting his arms above his head, toes curling in anticipation.

The tip of a finger teased at sensitive flesh, relishing in the hitching of Edd’s breath and the twitching of pale hips, before he bit his lip and pressed both fingers inside. The dark-haired boy whimpered at the stretch, shifting uncomfortably. Kevin waited a moment, free hand squeezing Edd’s thigh reassuringly. When he was given a nod, he pulled out and pushed back in, pumping slowly, fingers curling teasingly as he worked at the body beneath him. Too soon, and yet not soon enough, Edd was squirming impatiently, softly begging for more. He pulled out and reached for the condom, rolling it on and slathering the rest of the lube over himself. Running his hands down Edd’s thighs and rubbing encouragingly, he smiled. In a sudden motion, he pulled the slender legs up over his shoulders and positioned himself. Just before he entered, he leaned forward to press a kiss to Edd’s forehead.

“I love you,” he said, and they cried out together as he thrust forward.

A steady rhythm was quickly found, familiar touches and sounds sending waves of heat through their bodies. Edd let his eyes slide shut, a tear or two tripping down his cheeks as he panted. He grasped lightly at Kevin’s wrists, braced on either side of his head. The redhead tried to watch, but pleasure coiled in the pit on his stomach and with a soft “fuck…” he let his head fall forward as he pressed forward, arms and legs shaking. Pressure built, cries and moans escalated, and as he felt the familiar tensing of Edd’s thighs, he forced himself to look up. The sight nearly ended him right then and there, but he held out, falling down on one elbow so his other hand could wrap around his boyfriend’s length, pumping erratically to bring Edd over the edge. The dork _mewled_ as he came, back arching, and with a string of possessive growls Kevin finished as well, hips jerking as he rode it out. He pulled out gingerly, disposing of the condom before collapsing next to Edd and pulling him up to his chest, running his hands through dark hair. Edd slid a leg over his lover, rested a hand on that broad chest, and hummed.

In the fuzzy bliss of the afterglow, neither of them heard the soft click of a camera phone or the quiet squeak of sneakers on the gym floor.


	42. Chapter 41

The stress of finals was behind them. They wouldn’t have their grades for another couple of weeks, but nobody seemed to care. It was over. The seniors were desperate to graduate, and everyone was ready for summer break. It was with this excited attitude that the baseball team warmed up for their third shot at the state championships in a row. The students seemed to be even more energetic and pumped than usual to Edd, but that may have been his imagination or the fact that this year he was squished onto a bench front and center with Nazz and a large group of their mutual friends. To say he was uncomfortable would be an understatement; snacks and drinks were spilled as they were passed, the noise was unbearable, and being around so many other people was quickly making the heat just as unbearable. He wiped the back of a hand across his brow and squinted out at the field. Kevin was horsing around with a few friends as they stretched. Edd winced. They would have to have a talk later about the dangers of improper stretching. On the other end of the field, the opposing team looked rather nervous. Edd felt a twinge of pride in his school’s team--they were certainly a force to be reckoned with--but more specifically in one player in particular.

Out of all the players on the Peach Creek High team, Kevin seemed to be the most enthusiastic today. He’d aced his finals, he was sure of it. He and Edd had spent nearly every afternoon together for the rest of the week, and every time he looked over to see his boyfriend and his best friend sitting together in the stands he wanted to scream and jump around and throw his fist in the air. His teammates took this as excitement for the game and joined in.

“Who’s ready to kick some ass?!” Matt shouted.

The team cheered in response. They practically skipped to their positions on the field. Kevin was pitching first, and the ball came in fast and hard every time. Within a matter of minutes the other team took their three outs. Kevin straightened up, grinning, and threw a wave toward the stands. He received a loud cheer in response, but Nazz and Edd exchanged a knowing look. They knew who it was for.

The rest of the game passed in a predictably similar manner. The poor Riverside Ravens hardly stood a chance. It was almost painful to watch. Kevin and his teammates flew around the bases, passed the ball as if they were thinking with a single mind, and pulled so far ahead that it was almost embarrassing to let the game go on beyond the fifth inning. At the end of the game, as usual, the stands emptied as screaming students flooded the field. Nearly half an hour passed before anybody left for home, and it took another half hour after that for the players to start making their way to the locker room.

Nazz took Edd’s arm to keep him from escaping and dragged him along with the group, a bunch of them crowding the door to the locker room to wait for Kevin, Matt, and the others. The seeds of a headache from earlier had grown into something throbbing and he just wanted to go home. The perky blonde was having none of it, and apparently neither was anyone else.

“Double D, you’re coming to the after-party, right?” Nazz asked loudly. A hush fell over the group as they waited for his answer.

He shot a dirty look in her direction. When it didn’t faze her, he sighed in defeat. “I suppose.”

Once that was out of the way, conversation resumed as normal, and when the boys came out of the locker room everyone cheered. They walked in one large mass to the parking lot. Rides were sorted out, and in the confusion Kevin snatched Edd up and shoved a helmet into his hands.

“Come on, dork,” he said quietly. “If we leave right now, we can take a quick detour.” He wiggled his eyebrows comically and added, “If you know what I mean.”

Edd giggled and shoved him away, fitting the helmet over his hat and sliding comfortably into his spot behind the redhead. He wrapped his arms loosely around Kevin’s waist and resisted the urge to rub his face on Kevin’s back until they were out of the parking lot. Kevin drove more quickly than usual to increase their amount of alone time. Edd clung to him nervously, reciting the periodic table in his head to keep motorcycle fatality statistics out of his thoughts, and let out an audible sigh when they pulled into Kevin’s driveway.

“I’ll meet you at your house in five,” Kevin murmured, pressing a kiss to his temple.

He disappeared inside to change and Edd scampered across the street to do the same, grateful for a chance to exchange his sweaty school clothes for something clean, dry, and more comfortable. Kevin arrived a few minutes later and pushed Edd up against the door, pressing their lips together hungrily. When Edd tried to bite down on his lower lip, Kevin pulled back with a teasing “ah-ah!” and buried his face in the dork’s neck. He nipped and sucked at the skin, moving constantly to avoid leaving marks. When Edd let out a strangled whine, he stopped, pulling the other’s face forward for one last, searing kiss. This time Edd got his lip bite in, grinning impishly as the redhead pulled away.

“Come on, baby…we…we should get going.”

“Whatever you say, darling.” Edd flashed an innocent smile, and it was all over.

* * *

“What?” Matt shouted to be heard over the music, one hand pressing his phone to his head and the other blocking the sound from the other ear. “You have to speak up, Kev. Why are you panting? …You’re a varsity athlete, you really expect me to believe that you’re winded from running up the stairs? …No, I’m not calling you a liar. Ugh, just forget it. Your dad got in an accident? …Yeah, yeah. Fine. Want me to send Nazz to pick Double D up? …What? What do you mean? He went home to _study_? God, he’s such a fucking dork. Alright, whatever man. See you.”


	43. Chapter 42

The last day of school was an absolute waste of time, and even Edd could admit it. They came until noon to receive their final report cards and fulfill the state attendance requirements. Even the teachers left the second the final bell rang. The halls would clear in record time, the school shut down within half an hour, and then summer break would begin. They just had to last an excruciating four hours and it would all be over.

Kevin’s motorcycle, a birthday gift from his parents, had broken down the day before and was in the shop, so the redhead took up Nazz’s offer of a ride. She had to be there early to help clean out the girls’ locker room, and as luck would have it, so did Ed. Eddy parked his car right next to Nazz’s only a few moments after the blonde pulled in. He got out immediately and offered to walk her inside. Ed gave Kevin a quick nod before following behind. The redhead stood and stretched, groaning. When he looked back, he realized that Edd had fallen asleep in the backseat of Eddy’s car. He grinned to himself and opened the door, sliding in beside him. He shook Edd’s shoulder gently.

“Double Doooork,” he sang. “Time to wake up!”

“Hmm?” Edd rubbed an eye, peering over at Kevin with the other. “Kevin?”

“Yeah, babe. Come on, wake up! I want to kiss you before the rest of the school gets here.”

“School?” Suddenly Edd shot straight up, nearly clipping Kevin’s chin with his shoulder. “We’re at school? I fell asleep? Oh, dear…I’m not late, am I?”

“Hey, hey! Calm down. The school doesn’t even open to students for another half hour. Chill.” He leaned in and wiggled his eyebrows. “Kiss me.”

With a giggle, Edd complied. “I was hoping we could get ice cream or something after school lets out,” he said when they broke for air, tucking his head under Kevin’s chin. The arms around him tightened just a bit. Edd wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it, and when he looked up Kevin was smiling brightly down at him.

“Sure, baby. But, uh…” He scratched the back of his neck, looking to the side. “I have something to do after school. Just a baseball thing. It shouldn’t take too long, but you should go home without me. Go play video games with your friends or count your ants or something, and I’ll come get you when I’m done. Okay?”

“Oh!” Edd bit down on his lip. There weren’t supposed to be any afterschool activities today, but… “Of course! I’ll go home with Eddy and Ed, then. When shall I expect you?”

“I don’t know…I’ll text you when I leave, sound good?”

“That sounds wonderful.” He leaned in for one last kiss. Kevin wouldn’t lie to him. He trusted his boyfriend to the ends of the earth and back. “Shall we head inside? The parking lot is beginning to fill.”

Kevin very suddenly pulled him into a tight hug before releasing just as quickly. “Let’s get this over with.”

* * *

Classes went by slowly, even by Kevin’s standards. Most of the teachers showed movies or had board games out; most of the students ignored all of that in favor of their phones or naps sprawled out across the desks. At the end of the day, for the last fifteen minutes before the final bell rang, the students moved back to their homeroom classes to get their final report cards. The redhead was a little nervous. He still wasn’t quite sure how his finals had gone. When his name was called, he walked up to take the paper. His eyes scanned the rows for a moment, a grin splitting his face. He let out a loud cheer right there in front of the class, making his teacher jump.

“Y-Yes, congratulations, Mr. Barr. Please don’t do that ever again,” she said, hand over her heart.

“Sorry.” He grinned sheepishly.

Straight A grades was something that he hadn’t seen on his report card since the third grade, and until this year he never thought he’d see it again. Edd was going to be so proud, and that thought alone made the whole thing worth it. Maybe he’d even do it again next year. His chest felt tight with a sense of accomplishment. He took the paper to his desk and did the cheesiest thing he thought he’d ever done. Pulling a pink highlighter from his bag, he drew a crooked heart around his final grades. Across the top, he wrote “to the world’s greatest tutor” before placing it carefully into his bag to hand to Edd later over ice cream. He leaned back in his seat, tucked his hands behind his head, and shut his eyes to wait out the last five minutes. _God, could this day get any better?_

* * *

_God, could this day get any worse?_ Edd thought, rubbing his head as he sat up. As he gathered his scattered books and papers, he chided himself for staying up so late reading. He was so tired, tired enough to walk straight into an open locker full speed. He’d already fallen asleep in two of his three classes. At the end of his last one, no one bothered to wake him up. Ed eventually found him and carried him out into the hall, much to his embarrassment. Speaking of Ed…

The biggest of the Eds was currently scooting around on his backside collecting the papers that Edd had dropped. He meant well, surely, but the careless way he was crumpling them in one big fist made the sockheaded teen cringe. Ed had followed him around all day, now that he thought about it. He loved his friend’s company of course, but it was getting a bit annoying. Ed followed him so closely that he felt constantly on edge, briefly considering hitting the other on multiple occasions. When Ed reached a hand for Edd’s perfect report card, Edd practically threw himself on top of the paper.

“Thank you, Ed, but I’ve got this one.” He slid it into his bag, sandwiching it between two books to keep it flat. “Come along, Eddy must be tired of waiting.”

“Okie dokie, Double D!”

Ed yanked his friend to his feet and took off, dragging Edd behind him. After bumping into several people and getting hit by another locker, Edd was ready to scream.

“Ed! Release me at once!”

The bigger teen complied a little too suddenly, and Edd fell into an undignified heap. Grumbling as he stood, he brushed himself off and straightened his shirt roughly.

“I’m going to the restroom, and _no_ , you can’t come with me! Go find Eddy!”

“I can’t do that, Double D.” Ed glanced around nervously.

Exasperated, Edd threw his hands into the air. “And why not?”

“I just can’t.”

“Well, fine. But you are waiting out here, understand?”

Ed nodded, biting on his lip and wringing his hands. He watched his slender friend disappear into the bathroom and took up his post leaning against the opposite wall. He kept his head on a swivel, trying to be a good lookout, but he kept getting distracted by things he spotted up and down the halls. It should have come as no surprise, then, when the teacher in the nearest classroom poked her head out and Ed screamed in surprise.

“Away, foul monster!” he shouted, flailing backwards.

To her credit, the teacher looked entirely unfazed. “Very funny, Ed. Come here, I need you to help me carry a few boxes out to my car. Do you mind?”

“Oh…but I’m on lookout!”

“And you’re doing a marvelous job of it, I’m sure. Please? It’s just a few boxes, but they’re too heavy for me. A strong kid like you should have no problem with it, right?”

“Well…” Ed glanced toward the bathroom door. “I am pretty strong…”

“Great!” She led him by the arm into the classroom and watched him pick up all three boxes in one go. “My car is out back. Come on. You’ll be back before your friend even knows it.”

* * *

After relieving himself and washing his hands, Edd took a moment to clutch at the bathroom sink and collect himself. He shook his head to clear it of the tiredness. When that didn’t work, he splashed a bit of water onto his face, patting it dry with a paper towel. The morning had gone poorly, certainly, but now with the school day over he could put it all behind him. He heard the door creak open, but he kept drying his face off.

“Ed, I told you to stay out.” He was greeted with an uncharacteristic silence. He paused, paper towel pressed to his face as he listened. “Ed, did you hear me? …Ed? _Ed!_ ”

* * *

The halls were already emptied by the time Kevin left his classroom for the locker room, and that was just the way he wanted it. With each step he took, he felt a growing sense of dread. Every year, the graduating seniors on the baseball team met up with the upcoming seniors to…have a little fun with some poor nerdy soul. It was sort of an initiation ritual, something to prove that the guys were ready to take over the team and lead them to victory. Kevin had known about it since the day he joined the team, and at first it hadn’t really bothered him, but now… Well, at least he knew Ed was keeping a close eye on Edd. In fact, the thought put him almost entirely at ease. Even if the big guy didn’t have Edd with him, Kevin doubted that the team would pick on him. Most of them seemed to like the little dork, or at least tolerate him pretty well.

Instantly his mood picked up. He sped up, eager to get this over with and get home to start his summer break with the best boyfriend in the world. He ran into a teammate just outside the locker room and held the door for him as they entered, shoving each other jokingly. In the middle of the room, seven of them stood in a circle, Kevin and the other latecomer bringing the number to nine. Four graduating seniors and five upcoming seniors gathered around a figure sitting under a sheet on a chair. Even from where he was standing, Kevin could see the sheet shaking, and he felt a twinge of guilt. He would see about talking the guys out of this next year, for sure.

“Well, here we are!” John’s voice echoed through the locker room. The figure flinched, and a ripple of laughter spread across line of players. “I’m sure we all want to go home and start enjoying summer break, so let’s just get started. Let’s let our new team captain kick this off.”

Kevin flashed a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Hands shoved into his pockets, he stepped forward and hooked his foot under the bar of the chair, tipping it up and back. The figure stiffened and whimpered, the sound muffled. Kevin’s hand shot out to brace on the back of the chair so he could set his foot down again.

“Relax, buddy. We’re not going to hurt you.” His grin widened. “Much.”

His comment received the expected laughter, but something…something felt off. This wasn’t right. His sense of dread was back, stronger than ever. He felt like he was missing something important. Another muffled whimper distracted him from his thoughts.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue, d…” His gaze fell to a beanie lying on the floor, a beanie with white stripes, and his heart stopped. He let the chair thump back to the floor and tore the sheet away, his eyes locking with his boyfriend’s terrified ones. “…dork?”


	44. Chapter 43

“Well?” John’s voice rang out again.

Edd flinched, looking down. He took a shaky breath through his nose, trying not to panic. He should’ve stayed with Ed. It was the only thing he could think about. He was scared, confused…betrayed, even. What was Kevin doing here? The thought that the redhead was involved was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach. He forced himself to look up again, back into the eyes of his boyfriend. He saw pain there, and fear, and then he couldn’t see anything through the tears that were welling up.

The sudden display of emotion seemed to snap Kevin from his trance. He stepped around the chair, mouth set in a hard line, and began to work at the knots in the lanyard holding Edd’s hands behind him.

“Hey!” John shouted. Kevin ignored him. “I said, hey!”

A heavy foot landed between the redhead’s shoulder blades. The force of the kick sent him into the chair, pitching it forward. Edd clenched his eyes shut on impact, the left side of his face and his knees taking the full force of the fall. The added weight of Kevin on top ensured that the concrete floor took skin from Edd’s cheek, and he whimpered through the ringing in his head. Kevin rolled off, shaking his wrist out. Instead of picking the chair back up and inviting another fall, he simply flipped it onto its side, continuing his efforts to free Edd. As soon as he was, the skinny teen scrambled to his feet, only to be caught from behind by Matt.

“Let him go.” Kevin’s voice was low with a dangerous edge to it, and he cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

Matt twisted Edd’s arm up behind him, receiving a soft cry in return. “Why? You said it yourself, we’re just having some fun.”

“Not with him we’re not.” Kevin took a step forward and suddenly everyone was on edge. One of the graduating seniors tugged on the sleeve of another and the two left the locker room without looking back. “Let him go.”

With a chuckle, Matt fished his phone from his back pocket, scrolling through it for a second before holding it out. “You got to have fun with him. Don’t we get a turn?”

Kevin remained silent, staring at the phone without reaching for it. Just as Matt moved to take it back, he snatched it from his hand. His hand curled into a tight fist as he stared at the image on the screen, nails digging into his palm. It was the two boyfriends, wrapped up in each other’s arms on the floor of the locker room those few weeks ago, blissfully unaware that anybody was watching. He felt sick with anger, a hot, bitter feeling that rose up from the pit of his stomach. He pulled his hand up and slammed the phone onto the ground, shattering the screen. Silence rang in the aftermath for just a moment.

“Oh, Kevin. You shouldn’t have done that.” Matt dropped Edd to his knees with a swift kick from behind. In one quick motion, he shoved the slender teen forward until he lay flat on the ground and placed the heel of his foot between Edd’s shoulder blades, leaning his weight forward. “You break my things…” He pulled his foot away and kicked at Edd’s ribs. “I break yours.”

“You fucker!” Kevin lunged forward swinging. He landed a few hits, taking one or two in return, before he was caught on either side and dragged back. “Don’t you fucking touch him again!”

Edd curled in on himself. His hands were finally free to pull the rag from his mouth and he clenched his jaw shut to keep from crying. Another kick to the ribs, just to spite the redhead, broke that resolve and with a gasp the moisture in his eyes overflowed. Kevin thrashed, and the guy on his left let go.

“Okay, Matt. Come on. I think you made your point.”

“No one asked you, Brett,” Matt snarled. “If you don’t like it, you can leave, but I’m not stopping until this little piece of shit learns his goddamn place.”

“Whatever, man. I’m out.”

“Me, too.”

Brett and his friend left, glancing back with apologetic frowns. Another boy, Edd didn’t know his name, looked extremely uncertain, eyes darting back and forth between Kevin and the door, but he kept his hold on the redhead’s arm, moving around to loosely grip the other as well. John stepped over and gripped the back of Edd’s shirt, hauling him to his feet. His focus was on Kevin, however; he practically threw Edd to the side without looking, right into the waiting arms of the last teen. _His name is…L…Larry? Lloyd…Lance!_

“P-Pardon me, Lance, but I’d like to know what the problem is. Perhaps it can be resolved--”

“Shut up.” The surly player swung Edd by the shirt into the wall of lockers, one hand pressing on his head. “My mom’s going through a divorce because of _your_ kind. Resolve that, fag.”

He let go and Edd slid to the floor, holding his head. It struck him as a wise decision to let Kevin handle the situation, so he kept his mouth shut and observed. Lance apparently didn’t think he was much of a threat--to be honest, none of them did--and left him alone, moving in on Kevin with the other two.

“This is because I’m gay? Are you fucking kidding me?” Kevin held his hands up defensively, casting a pleading look over his shoulder at the athlete holding him. “Come on, guys. We’re friends! Why does everything have to change just because I like Double Dork and not some cheerleading bimbo?”

The unnamed teen bit his lip. “Matt, John…he has a point…”

“Shut the hell up, Jerald.” Matt waved a hand in the air dismissively. “You heard Lance. Gays ruined his mom’s life. And I’m not gonna have some faggot staring at me in the locker room.”

“Please!” Kevin laughed. “Like I’d want to look at your ugly ass.”

A sharp crack resounded through the room and suddenly Kevin’s nose was pouring blood. Edd gasped, pressing the back of a hand to his mouth, as Kevin groaned. He shook his head lightly and spat a bit of blood onto the front of Matt’s shirt.

“Real mature, asshole. Why don’t you let Jerald let me go and you can fight me like a real man? Well. As much of a real man as you can pretend to be.”

Another blow, this time to the stomach, had Kevin doubled over in pain. Matt cracked his knuckles and John grinned, inching in to join the fight.

“Oh, calling in reinforcements? You need three of you and someone to hold me just to fight me?”

John’s knee shot up to catch the redhead on the nose again, and this time he cried out. A sob slipped through Edd’s fingers.

“Kevin, cease antagonizing them!”

“Why? They want to beat me up just for liking a guy. Why not give them a _real_ reason to do it?”

John landed a series of quick punches. Edd screamed and lunged, throwing himself into the back of Matt’s knees. The player’s legs buckled and they went down, dragging John with them. Jerald let go of Kevin and backed up, hands help up, but Lance was quick to take his place.

“Guys, come on, this is insane,” Jerald tried to reason, but it fell on deaf ears. He turned and ran from the room, not that anyone noticed.

Matt straddled the struggling dork, pinning his arms with his knees. “You’re gonna regret that,” he hissed.

Edd jerked his knee up into Matt’s back, but it did little besides throw the bigger teen off balance for a second. Furious, the athlete brought his fist down over Edd’s nose, three times before it cracked. Edd clenched his teeth to keep from screaming and thrashed.

“What, so you’ll cry for your boyfriend but not for yourself? That’s real cute. Real sweet. I’m touched.” He gripped Edd’s chin firmly and turned his head to look at Kevin. “Here, then. I’ll even let you watch.”

With a short nod from Matt, John reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pocketknife. He flipped it open with a click. Edd struggled with all he had and managed to free a hand, lifting it to claw at Matt’s face. Matt rolled off and Edd scrambled to his feet, leaping onto John’s back with an almost feral cry.

“What the fuck?!”

John stumbled back, and at that moment the locker room door flew open. There was a second, maybe two, of silence as the two parties overcame their shock, and then Ed charged in with a roar. A flurry of fists later, the three baseball players ran from the room, shouting and holding various injuries. Kevin and Ed exchanged a fist bump, the redhead smearing blood from his nose with the back of a hand. Eddy stood protectively over Edd, only moving to help his friend up once the door had swung shut again. He immediately pulled the other into a tight hug and then held up at arm’s length to assess the damage.

“I-I’m alright, Eddy.”

“Sure, Sockhead. You’re alright.”

Another hug was instigated, and this time Ed joined in, sweeping the other two Eds off their feet. Edd allowed it to last as long as he could stand, but soon he was pushing at his large friend, begging to be set down. When he was, he was immediately wrapped up in the familiar arms of his boyfriend.

“I’m sorry,” Kevin murmured into Edd’s hat, hands gripping at his shirt.

Edd smiled softly, pulling back to press a kiss to his forehead. “It’s alright. No real harm was done, and for that I am grateful.”

“Yeah…” Kevin knew it wasn’t that simple, but he let it slide. They’d had enough trouble for the day. “Let’s go home, babe.”

“I’m driving,” Eddy announced. “You hit your head and I’m not letting you ride that stupid bike until we’re sure you’re not brain-damaged or something.”

The fact that Kevin agreed without protest spoke volumes to the gravity of the situation, and Edd bit his lip nervously. They could worry about that later, though. He was developing a massive headache, and they both had blood to clean from their faces. He slid one hand into Kevin’s and the other into Eddy’s.

“Yes, let’s go home.”


	45. Chapter 44

By some stroke of luck, Kevin’s parents were still out when Eddy pulled into the cul-de-sac. He couldn’t imagine trying to explain the bruises _after_ he got cleaned up a bit, let alone right now when his clothes were torn and Edd looked exactly the same. The short teen parked in Edd’s driveway long enough for the two of them to get out and to demand that Edd call him later, and then he and Ed continued on to Eddy’s house to play video games and try to forget the stupid events of the day. Edd waved until they disappeared into Eddy’s room, and only then did Kevin tug the brunet inside. He pressed Edd against the closed door gently, letting the lengths of their bodies touch, and sank a soft kiss into his lips, careful of their sore noses.

“Are you okay?” he murmured against Edd’s lips and sighed in relief when he felt the dork nod. “Want a shower?” Another nod. “Can I come, too?”

“Please.”

Kevin helped Edd into the shower, dumping both sets of clothing into the hamper before joining him. It spoke volumes to just how subdued Edd was feeling that he made no effort to wash himself. Instead, he clung to the redhead and let the water run over them both until it began to get cold, Kevin rubbing his hands up and down Edd’s back the whole time. They shut the water off, dried themselves, and moved down the hall to get dressed in Edd’s room in silence. Hand in hand, they walked downstairs to pop in a movie and eat a quiet meal of sandwiches and apple slices. Kevin tried his best to get Edd to finish, but the brunet gave up after a few bites of sandwich and a nibble or two of fruit. He curled up on the couch beside Kevin and stared blankly at the TV.

“Baby?” Kevin said softly. He didn’t get a response. He frowned and took their plates to the kitchen. When he returned, he tucked his hands under Edd’s head and lifted, encouraging him to sit up. “Baby, come here.”

Edd snuggled up against Kevin, and the redhead pressed little kisses across his face, soothing not only the physical hurt, but the emotional and mental pain as well. He held Edd a little too tightly, but the brunet wasn’t complaining, and together they drifted off, welcoming the healing balm of sleep.

* * *

 

When the doorbell rang and woke Edd up, the sky was dark, the movie long over, and Kevin’s phone flashed with messages. Edd rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes and untangled himself from Kevin, leaving the sleeping athlete on the couch as he stumbled blearily to the door. He opened it without checking who it was, entirely expecting Eddy to be on the other side, so when he was met with the wiry red hair of Kevin’s mother, he started.

“H-Hello, Mrs. Barr. May I help you?”

“Hi. Edd, right? Eddward?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Edd bit his lip nervously, gripping the door tightly.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, but we can’t find Kevin. He won’t answer his phone, Nazz hasn’t seen him…I know you’ve only been tutoring him, but do you happen to know where he is?”

Edd considered lying, and the thought repulsed him. _What kind of person would that make me, to lie to a worried mother?_ “Y-Yes. He’s…here.”

“Oh, thank god!” She clasped her hands together, shoulders falling in relief. “Honey!” she called over her shoulder. “Honey, I found him!”

Kevin’s father hurried across the street and up the walk to Edd’s door, brushing past the skinny teen inside. Mrs. Barr followed with an apologetic smile, and Edd directed them to the living room. A bud of anxiety was blossoming in his chest and it took everything he had not to wring his hands nervously.

“Kevin!” Mr. Barr boomed. The redhead started awake, falling off the couch and wincing as the impact jarred his sore body. “What the hell were you thinking, not answering your phone? Your mother’s been worried sick!”

Kevin looked around in confusion and shock. “Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?”

Mrs. Barr started to speak, but her husband interrupted. “We could ask you the same question!”

“I…” He looked to Edd for a moment, hating the fear he saw in those eyes. “Uh, my bike wasn’t starting. Edd gave me a ride from school.”

“There isn’t a car in the driveway.”

“Yeah. I meant…Eddy. Gave _us_ a ride home.”

“Took you an awful long time to get here from school. What does he drive, a snail?”

Kevin rolled his eyes, picking himself up from the floor and standing uncomfortably. “No, we got here like right after school.”

“Then why didn’t you come home?”

Edd could feel the tension growing in the room. Kevin’s fear was almost tangible, and his parents could feel it as well. Something was going on that they weren’t being told about and they knew it. His heart sank as he realized that everything was falling to pieces, and all he could do was stand back and hope the fallout wasn’t too bad.

“We were studying. He is my tutor. You guys know that.”

“Studying. Right. What were you really doing?” Mr. Barr demanded of Edd, taking a step forward to loom over the small boy.

“Dad, he was just tutoring me!” Kevin insisted, moving to stand between his father and his boyfriend. “Seriously, let it go!”

“Kevin Barr, you are lying through your damn teeth. Today was the last day of school. I know he wasn’t tutoring you and I demand that you tell me the truth. _Now_.”

Edd touched a hand to Kevin’s back automatically. Kevin’s father frightened him, and he couldn’t think of a way out of this one. The redhead looked over his shoulder at him, face hopeless and resigned, and Edd knew what was about to happen. He braced himself as best he could.

“I’m…look. I’m dating him. Alright? He’s my boyfriend.”

The silence that followed Kevin’s confession was almost scarier than the booming voices that had filled it just a few seconds ago. Kevin and his dad stared each other down, but the son broke first, looking down and to the side, cheeks flaming. The quiet stretched on long enough that Edd was about to speak, introduce himself or something, just to break the silence, but Mr. Barr beat him to it.

“Get your bag. You’re coming home,” was all he said, voice low and quiet.

“Dad, I--”

“I said, get your bag!” the older man barked. “And say goodbye to Edd.” He spat the name, disgust twisting his features. “If I have anything to say about it, and you better believe that I do, you won’t be seeing him again for a _long_ time.”

“What? No! You can’t do that!” Kevin shouted, reaching a hand back toward Edd.

Edd didn’t take it, instead backing away from the commotion, hat pulled down over his ears. He shook his head over and over-- _this is not happening!--_ looking to Mrs. Barr for perhaps a bit of sympathy. He found none. She wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Mr. Barr turned to leave, shooting his parting words over his shoulder. “I can and I am. Now get your ass in gear and come home!”

Kevin stood in stunned silence, tears pricking at his eyes. After all of that at school, after everything they’d been through, it was over? Just like that?

“Mom…”

She shook her head, backing toward the door. “You heard your father…” For a brief second, the two teens held a bit of hope that she would be on their side. Mr. Barr was frightening, for certain, but she didn’t look disgusted or angry. Her next words crushed those hopes. “This isn’t how we raised you, son.”

She turned on her heel and followed her husband out. There was only a beat before Mr. Barr was shouting at Kevin to get outside. The redhead complied, grabbing his things and throwing his bag over his shoulder. He caught Edd’s wrist and jerked him forward into a quick kiss.

“I’ll talk to them,” he promised. “I’ll figure it out. I swear to god, Edd. I will not let them stand between us.”

And with that, he was gone, and Edd was left to crumple to his knees and sob into the silence that was left in his house, the house that he once again was utterly and entirely alone in.


	46. Chapter 45

Edd sat curled up on Ed’s lap, watching with red-rimmed eyes as Eddy paced in front of them, wearing a track into Edd’s living room carpet. The instant he had been able to compose himself, Edd had called his friends, the despair in his voice bringing them straight over, no explanation needed. They pieced the story together from what Edd could manage to get out and the shouting they could hear all the way from Kevin’s house, and Eddy was _not_ happy about it.

“Who the _fuck_ do they think they are?” he growled for the hundredth time.

“Ed--hic!--Eddy…” Edd said softly, voice thick with emotion and exhaustion. “Being angry isn’t going to change anything.”

“And sitting on the couch crying your eyes out will?” The short Ed rounded on his friend, hands flying up to pull on his hair. “You cope with the fact that you can’t see your boyfriend in your way and let me cope with the fact that my best friend is heartbroken in mine.”

“I’m h-hardly heartbroken,” Edd insisted, but his voice cracked at the end and Ed hugged him just a little bit tighter.

Eddy faltered in his pacing, pain and concern breaking through the irritation on his face. His shoulders slumped and he sighed. Taking a seat next to Ed on the couch, he slid the beanie from Edd’s head and began gently running his fingers through the brunet’s hair.

“No more crying, Dee,” he muttered. “It’s gonna be okay and all that.” Edd sniffled anyway and Eddy’s hands stilled on his head. He seemed to reach some sort of decision, face hardening in determination, and with a grunt he stood. “Lumpy, stay with Double D. I’ll be back.”

Edd struggled to sit up. “Where are you going?”

“Out. Don’t wait up for me, dear!”

Eddy’s cheeky parting words made Edd roll his eyes, but he did smile. Ed grinned and patted Edd’s cheek.

“There’s my Double D,” he said. “Want to watch TV? There’s a Twilight Zone marathon on. You like Twilight Zone.”

“Yes, I suppose I do. That sounds lovely, Ed.”

* * *

 

Two hours of shouted arguing ended with the confiscation of Kevin’s phone and laptop, his father storming off in his truck, and his mother banishing him to his room for the rest of the night. He lay face-down on his bed, clenching and unclenching a hand sore from punching a hole in the plaster of his wall. It wasn’t fair, and not just because he couldn’t see Edd. It wasn’t fair that his parents, the people who raised him and loved him, couldn’t--no, _wouldn’t_ \--accept him for who he was. Who he always had been. He was no different now than he was when he left for school this morning, so why did everything suddenly have to change?

“Fuck this,” he said out loud, but it didn’t make him feel any better. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. There, alone in his room, Kevin Barr began to cry.

* * *

 

“Eddy?” Nazz took a step back, holding the door open for the short Ed. “What are you doing here?”

“What, I need an excuse to come see my girl?”

“Your _secret_ girl, dude. I think it’s reasonable to ask why you’re standing on my porch instead of just coming in the back like you always do.”

“But you hate it when I come from the back, babe.” Eddy wiggled his eyebrows as he stepped past her into the front hall, lifting an arm to shield himself from the hit he knew was coming.

“Eddy!” She swatted at him as expected, cheeks flushing pink.

He chuckled, catching her arm to pull her closer. His hands found the familiar curve of her hips and he kissed her, releasing her with a playful slap to the ass. She huffed and took his hand to lead him back to her room, shouting at her mom that it was just Eddy. Once they were both seated on her bed, her legs thrown across his lap, she leaned forward to flick his nose.

“Okay, seriously. Why are you here?”

Eddy wrinkled his nose and sighed. “I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but I need you to help me help Kevin.”

“You?” she asked incredulously, “Help Kevin?”

She leaned forward to press the back of her hand to his forehead, checking his temperature, and he waved her away with a grumble.

“Yeah, yeah, get it all out now. So you gonna help or not?”

“Of course, dummy. It’s Kevin.” She sat back and worried her lip. “Can you fill me in a little bit? He was texting me about it, but he was super upset. He wasn’t making much sense. And then he just stopped. I think his dad took his phone or something.”

He ran through the story again, as much as he knew, and by the end Nazz was up pacing and pulling at her hair, just as Eddy had been at Edd’s house earlier. The corners of his mouth twitched up as he watched her and that little bud of affection in his chest that he was still trying to get used to throbbed.

“Those _jerks_!” she exploded suddenly, whirling around to face Eddy. He leaned back, eyes wide. “What are they even thinking? I oughtta march right over there right now and tell them both to go to hell! Who does that to their kid?”

“Yeah, I know.” Eddy hooked his index fingers through her belt loops and pulled her back to the bed. “They suck, yadda yadda, here’s my plan…”

* * *

 

The knock at his bedroom door hardly fazed the redhead. He’d been expecting his mom to try to make amends somehow. Maybe not this soon, but he didn’t find it unusual. Sure enough, the door opened and his mother’s soft voice floated to his ears.

“Kevin, honey?”

He didn’t respond. His voice was thick with emotions that he didn’t want to share with her. Besides, his throat felt so closed up that he doubted he would be capable of speech. He heard her sigh softly and then push the door the rest of the way open.

“Nazz is here to see you.”

He perked up, just a bit, but waited until he heard his mother’s footsteps disappear down the stairs to look up, rolling onto his side as the bed dipped down where Nazz sat. He curled himself around her, wrapping his arms around her middle in a hug, and immediately it brought him back to the morning he woke up hung over on Edd’s bed and had embraced the dork in exactly the same way.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he replied. “I feel like shit.”

“You look it.”

“Hey!” A punch to the upper arm punctuated the protest, but Nazz only laughed. Kevin smiled, a small smile, but it was there. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, I’ve got an idea. But you’re not gonna like it.”

“The last time someone said that to me, the idea involved Eddy and no, I didn’t like it.”

“Yeah, well. It involves Eddy and you’re really not going to like it.”

“Dammit.”

* * *

 

After five episodes of Twilight Zone, Edd was asleep in Ed’s arms, head resting on the large teen’s shoulder. With a gentleness rarely shown to people, Ed shifted Edd off his lap and onto the couch so he could stand and pop his back. He and Eddy had been exchanging texts, forming a plan, and now it was time to put it into place. He left Edd in the living room and tiptoed up to his room. Under normal circumstances, Edd would throw a fit if he knew someone was intruding in his room, but Ed was sure he’d be forgiven. He found a bag and proceeded to messily fill it with a change of clothes, toiletries, and a handful of completely unnecessary knick-knacks. Bag slung over his shoulder, he crept back downstairs and lifted Edd from the couch, carrying him out into the cul-de-sac and over to Eddy’s door.

“Eddy!” he whisper-shouted. “Eddy, it’s me! Ed! I brought Double D! I’ve been a good boy! I get a cookie, right?”

“Right, dumbass,” Eddy said from behind Ed. “You wanna get your big head out of the way so I can open the door?”

Kevin snorted, covering it with a hand. He stood just behind Eddy. The shorter teen tapped his foot, arms crossed, and rolled his eyes when Ed twisted around to squint at them in confusion.

“Eddy, how did you get out here? Are you magic?”

“No, you dolt. You got here before us. Now, for the last time, _move_!”

“Okay, boss!” Ed shouted, one hand snapping to his side and the other lifting in a salute.

A suddenly unsupported Edd dropped like a rock, awakening on impact with a yelp of pain. Eddy smacked a hand to his forehead, and Kevin rushed forward to scoop his boyfriend up. Edd let out a whimper.

Kevin brushed a thumb over Edd’s cheek. “Shh, baby. It’s okay. You’re fine.”

“K-Kevin?” Edd looked around in bewilderment. He glanced back and forth between Eddy and Kevin a few times, and then he shook his head. “I’m dreaming. There is no other explanation.”

“Yeah, I wish,” Eddy grumbled, shoving past Ed to open the door. “Could we maybe go inside _before_ you idiots wake up the whole neighborhood and get us caught?”

Somehow the shortest Ed managed to get the door open with the tallest literally breathing down his neck. Ed carried Edd’s bag and Kevin’s duffle bag in and dropped them on the floor by the TV. Kevin carried Edd in and dropped him on Eddy’s bed. He sat up and rubbed his eye with the back of a hand.

“What on earth is going on?” he asked.

He looked at Kevin and Kevin looked at Eddy. Eddy shrugged and crossed his arms again.

“It’s dumb that you can’t see each other, so…uh, Kevin’s gonna stay here. So you can come over whenever. We figured his parents won’t even think to look here, so…” He trailed off and looked to the side, cheeks reddening. “Yep.”

“Oh, Eddy…” Edd set a hand on his chest, tears threatening again. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just…don’t cry anymore.”

“You have my word.” His smile faded when he caught sight of his bag. He pointed to it. “Why is my bag here?”

“Sleepover!” Ed shouted, leaping onto the bed to wrap Edd up in a tight hug.

Kevin wrinkled his nose and said, “Don’t call it a sleepover, god. That makes it sound so…”

“Gay?” Eddy supplied, and even Edd had to laugh.

“Yeah,” Kevin said between chuckles. “Gay.”

“Don we now our gay apparel!” Ed sang, and the four of them dissolved into laughter, Eddy and eventually Kevin joining the two Eds on the bed for a night of movies and video games.

* * *

 

“Dee, you have to get him the fuck out of my house.”

Edd glanced up sharply before returning his attention to the frying pan sizzling away in front of him. “Pardon?”

“Shovelchin. Your annoying-as-hell boyfriend. I need him out of my house. I can’t do it anymore. I’m going insane.”

“What exactly is the problem? Hand me a plate, if you will.”

Eddy passed the dish over and leaned on the counter next to the stove, looking down his nose at the eggs and bacon Edd was flipping onto the plate.

“There’s a reason we don’t like each other very much, Sockhead. A good reason. Mainly that he’s a moron and I don’t have the patience for it.”

“He is not a moron, and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t call him names. It’s been hardly a week, you know. You really can’t--Ed, please cease drooling on the table.”

“But pancakes, Double D!”

“Yes, Ed. Just one moment.” Edd paused to collect his thoughts. “As I was saying. You really can’t tolerate him for any longer than this?”

“I really, _really_ can’t. You know I’d do anything for you, Dee, but this is pushing it.”

“Yes, alright. I’ll speak with him. I’ve been meaning to try to convince him to contact his parents anyway.”

“Sometimes I throw up!”

“Thank you for your input, Ed. Here are your pancakes.”

Eddy snagged a piece of bacon from the plate as it passed, crunching it down while Edd shot him a dirty look. “You better talk to him. Today.”

“I will. Are you going to join us at the table like a civilized human being?”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get your panties in a wad.”

* * *

 

“Nope.”

“Kevin, please. You cannot hide here forever.”

The redhead didn’t even look up from the TV, fingers deftly manipulating the video game controller. “I don’t need forever. I just have to hide here until graduation.”

“Get the fuck out of my house!” Eddy shouted from the living room.

Kevin opened his mouth to shout back, but Edd slapped a hand over it and called out, “I am handling this, Eddy! Thank you!”

Kevin licked at Edd’s hand to get him to pull away. “I’m not talking to my parents. End of discussion.”

“It is not the end of the discussion, mister!” Edd thoroughly sanitized his hands as he spoke, snapping his words in his frustration. “They are your parents, and while they may be incorrect regarding out relationship, that doesn’t mean they deserve such treatment! At least tell them you’re safe! Perhaps if you could have a rational conversation with them, they would be open to considering our relationship as something acceptable, but you will never know unless you try.”

Pausing the game, Kevin turned to face him and lick his lips in thought. “Eddy wants me gone, huh?”

“Yes, but that is only a portion of why I’m discussing this with you.” Edd sank to his knees beside Kevin on the floor and let himself lean against the redhead. “You are lucky to have your parents involved in your life. I know you don’t necessarily agree with me, but I can assure you that you are. Please, I beg you. Do not simply throw that away over a difference in opinion.”

Kevin gave him a withering look, but Edd could tell he’d struck a chord. The athlete’s face worked through a progression of several emotions before settling on defeat. He sighed heavily and pushed Edd’s hat up to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Fine, dork. You win. I’ll go talk to them…” He glanced at his watch. “…now. Dad should be home from work.”

“Now?” Edd asked. He clutched at Kevin’s arm, stomach twisting with anxiety.

“Yeah, might as well.” Kevin removed his arm from Edd’s grasp, planting a solid kiss on his lips before standing and stretching. “I’ll see you soon, babe. Okay?”

Edd nodded, watching the redhead disappear through Eddy’s door. He chose to occupy himself with whatever his friends were watching on TV, phone clutched in his hand to give his fingers something to do. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, and soon an hour had gone by and Edd’s fingers were numb from gripping his phone so tightly. When it vibrated, he nearly dropped it.

When he read the text, he did drop it.

Less than thirty seconds later, Nazz burst through the door with panic written all over her face and shoved her phone at Edd. He nodded, confirming that it was the same text that he’d received. She rushed to the window.

“His bike isn’t there.”

[i love you. i promise. and i’m sorry.]

“He’s gone.”


	47. Chapter 46

They searched.

Nazz, Ed, Eddy, Mr. and Mrs. Barr, even Sarah and Jimmy joined the efforts, if only to shut Ed up. The two younger teens concentrated their efforts in the neighborhood, knocking on doors to ask if anyone had seen him. Nazz, Ed, and Eddy took Eddy’s car to the school campus and football field, circling back to the cul-de-sac via the downtown area. Kevin’s mother looked like she’d eaten something rotten, face green and pinched, and neither of them would talk about what happened. They drove up and down the streets of Peach Creek, enlisting the help of a cop buddy of Mr. Barr’s.

They couldn’t find him anywhere.

Edd jogged through the woods surrounding the creek until his sides ached, shouting Kevin’s name until he was hoarse, crying until there was nothing left but a hollow numbness inside him. Guilt tore at his conscience. It was his fault. He’d pushed Kevin to talk to his parents, and now he was gone. Edd stopped at the creek and fell to his knees, pressing his hands over his ears.

“Think, think, _think_ , you dolt!” he whispered to himself, using the noise to block out the accusing thoughts throbbing at his brain. “There has to be _something_. You’re the genius, aren’t you? Where would he go?”

Memories flooded his mind, flashing by like one of Ed’s old VHS tapes being fast-forwarded. Nothing, there was nothing. They’d checked all of the places that were important to Kevin and Edd’s relationship, even the ice cream parlor where they’d had their first date. And suddenly it clicked. The ice cream parlor had been their first date in Peach Creek, but not their first. Riverside. The train museum.

“The cabin!” he exclaimed, shooting to his feet.

He managed to type out a text message to Nazz as he ran back toward the cul-de-sac, not trusting himself to speak through his huffing and puffing, and he arrived just as Eddy’s car came to a screeching halt in front of him. Edd threw himself into the car, scrabbling for his seatbelt.

“Where are we going?” Eddy asked, speeding back through the neighborhood.

“Riverside,” Edd gasped, slumped down in his seat.

Nazz held her purse up to fan him with, glancing up at Eddy through the rearview mirror. He looked away, mouth set in a firm line. Ed finished a couple of texts and then spent half the drive looking back and forth between Nazz and Eddy. As they swerved onto the exit ramp for Riverside, he finally spoke.

“Do you guys, you know…kiss?”

“Uh…” Nazz looked to Eddy for help, and he reached over to smack the bigger of the Eds.

“Ed! Shut the fuck up! Now’s not the time for stupid questions!”

“Mom says there’s no stupid questions, just stupid people.”

“I think your mom has a point…”

For whatever reason, whether it was the relief from hearing that familiar snarky tone in Eddy’s retort or some sort of hysteria, Edd simply could not stop laughing. It started as a short giggle that he tried to hide behind his hands, but the instant that Nazz joined in, it was all over. The car practically shook with laughter as they pulled into a gas station in Riverside to ask for directions, and anyone who looked would’ve seen a beat up car full of typical teenagers, without a care in the world. Edd was suddenly filled with optimism and hope. Kevin would be at the cabin, he just knew it.

They’d made it just in time; the sun was beginning to set and it would apparently take them about half an hour to wind their way up the mountain. Edd twisted at the hem of his shirt and dedicated all of his energy toward keeping himself from bouncing up and down impatiently. When they finally broke free of the forest into the clearing, he was out of the car before Eddy could even fully stop.

“Dee!” Eddy shouted, fighting with the car to get it parked. “Wait!”

But there was Kevin’s bike, and Edd couldn’t wait any longer. His boyfriend was going to get the scolding of a lifetime, after he finished kissing every inch of his stupid, perfect face. Relief had him in tears as he took the steps in one leap, and…ran right into the door, bouncing back onto his ass.

“No goal!” Ed shouted, waving his arms frantically in front of him.

Pressing at his nose, Edd whimpered, “Ow…” He shook the tears from his eyes and got shakily to his feet, reaching for the door again. “It’s…it’s locked.”

“Well, knock, genius.”

Eddy came up the stairs to reach past Edd, rapping three times on the wood of the door. They waited, and waited, but nothing happened. Not even a sign of movement. Nazz stepped back into the clearing to squint at the house.

“I don’t see any lights on,” she said.

“Check around back,” Eddy suggested.

Ed bounded from the porch and around the side of the cabin, barking like a dog. Nazz and Eddy took the other side, shouting their observations to each other and to Edd, but the sockheaded teen was distracted by a flash of red at the far end of the clearing. Kevin’s hat. He ran to it and snatched it up, looking around and peering into the forest. Kevin wouldn’t leave his hat for no reason…

“It’s locked up tight, Dee. I don’t know where he is, but it isn’t here. Let’s get back in the car and see if we can find the police station. It’s getting dark and I don’t want anyone getting…lost…oh, god dammit.”

“What?” Nazz asked, jogging to catch up to her boyfriend, standing in the middle of the clearing with his hand smacked to his forehead.

“Dee’s fucking gone.”


	48. Chapter 47

The fourth time Edd tripped over a tree root was when he realized he’d made a grave error in running off. It was dark, so dark he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. How was he going to find Kevin when he couldn’t even see where he was going? Suppose he ran right off the edge of a cliff! Suppose Kevin already had! The thought stopped him in his tracks and he spun, straining to see through the darkness.

“Kevin!” he screamed, cupping his hands around his mouth. A sudden flash of lightning lit up the trees, and he jumped and wrapped his arms around his middle, voice cracking as he shouted, “Where _are_ you?!”

No one answered.

Edd stumbled on even after it began to rain. He thought on more than one occasion that he should turn back, find Eddy and the others, and let the police force do their job, but he wouldn’t be able to find the clearing again if he tried. Another branch of lightning struck, this time much closer, and the resulting thunder shook the ground. It frightened him. He sobbed, fumbling in his back pocket for his phone--no, he left his phone on Eddy’s backseat. Arms wrapped tightly around himself to ward off the icy chill of the rain, he carried on, occasionally calling out for Kevin, Eddy, _anybody_.

Suddenly, a very loud “fuck!” sounded from his left. He froze, one foot paused mid-stride, hanging in the air.

“Kevin?” he tried, voice hoarse. After clearing his throat, he tried again. “Kevin!”

There was a long pause, long enough that he nearly moved on, and then, “Edd?”

Gasping in relief, Edd ran toward the voice, that unmistakable voice. “I’m coming, Kevin! I’m coming!”

“Edd, stop!” Kevin sounded pained, and if it weren’t for that, Edd wouldn’t have listened. He came to an immediate halt, desperately trying to control his breathing so he could hear. “There’s a ledge! I don’t know how close you are to it, but I fell!”

“Are you alright?” Edd shouted back, slowly beginning to inch his way forward, feeling ahead of his with his toe before taking small, measured steps. A shaky laugh made its way to Edd ears, though he could hardly hear it. “Kevin?”

“I, uh…my leg’s broken. But I’m fine! Really! Nothing I can’t handle.”

The redhead’s voice grew closer with every step Edd took. It required all of his patience and self-discipline to keep from running to his boyfriend, especially knowing he was injured, but when his searching toes found nothing but air, he was glad he’d taken it slowly. He dropped to his knees at the edge of the ledge and peered over, shielding his eyes from the rain with a hand. There, to his right, he spotted Kevin sitting with his back against the face of the drop. His left leg was twisted at a funny angle, but Edd couldn’t see any protruding bone. He sighed in relief.

“Stay there, darling! I’ll be right down! Try not to move!”

Kevin raised a hand in acknowledgment, and Edd began his careful descent. He slid the last several feet, picking himself up and running to drop next to Kevin. He pecked his lips to the other’s and began an immediate inspection of the break, as best as he could tell by the almost non-existent light and feel. Kevin hissed when Edd’s fingers probed over the tell-tale bump and Edd hummed an apology.

“It’s a clean break. I think. It won’t do either of us any good to stay out here in the rain, so I’m going to help you. Alright?”

Kevin’s hand shot out to grab Edd’s wrist. “Listen, I need to tell you something first.”

“It really can’t wait?”

“No, because when we get down there, everyone’s gonna be there. Our friends, my parents…no, I have to tell you now.”

Edd sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What is it?”

“I’m gonna leave home. That way we can be together. School was never really my thing, and I have a little bit of money saved up. I’m not going to let them split us apart.”

Edd blinked. “You’re seriously planning on living on your own because of this?”

“Yeah, I mean…”

“And speaking of plans,” Edd continued, “do you even _have_ one? Where, exactly, are you going to live? How are you going to eat? What if you become ill? Did _any_ of this occur to you?!”

“Edd, I’ll make it work!” Kevin protested. “I’ll get a job, find a shitty apartment, whatever. I just can’t live with my asshole parents anymo--” A sharp slap across the face put an abrupt end to his sentence. He touched a hand to his stinging cheek and stared at Edd in disbelief. “What the hell?!”

“What the hell is right, Kevin Barr!” Edd was livid, face red, hands clenched by his sides. “Don’t you _dare_ insult your parents in such a manner! They may be wrong about this one thing, but they love you dearly! You have them worried sick!”

“If they really cared so much, they wouldn’t be trying to split us up!”

“Oh, grow up!” Edd paced away, hands thrown into the air in frustration.

“Easy for you to say!” Kevin snapped. “You don’t have to deal with your parents hating you because you’re gay!”

Edd spun around and Kevin instantly wished he could take it back. “I don’t have parents to _care_ what my sexual orientation is, thank you very much! Make light of my relationship with my parents again and a broken leg will be the _least_ of your problems!”

“Jesus, Edd, calm down…”

“No, I will not! You do not understand just how good you have it, and it is _infuriating_!”

“Well, it’s not like you ever told me that your home life sucks!”

“You never cared to ask, did you?”

Edd’s voice cracked, and Kevin realized the slender teen was shaking. He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face, wishing he could walk over to Edd and hug him or something. Edd’s shoulders slumped and he sat heavily beside Kevin, wincing as the mud squelched around him.

“Just forget about it,” he muttered.

“No way, dork.” Kevin tried to pull Edd closer. When he refused, the redhead simply left his arm around his shoulders. “I want to know.”

“It is of no consequence. This isn’t about me.”

“But it _is_ about you, Edd!” Kevin shifted to face his boyfriend, grunting as pain shot up his leg. “It’s always been about you, and that’s the whole point! I’m sorry that I forgot about that. I made it about me, and look where that got us.” A crack of lightning flashed across the sky, as if the storm agreed with Kevin. “It’s about you. Us. I’m being selfish.”

“Yes, you are.” Edd leaned in to kiss Kevin’s forehead affectionately. “Now, if you’re quite done being selfish, I’d like to get the hell off this mountain and out of this storm.”

“You got it, babe.” Kevin put a hand on Edd’s arm. “Promise you’ll tell me about your parents sometime.”

“I…promise.”

Edd stood and picked up a long stick. He looked it over for a moment before nodding and turning to dig around in the undergrowth for another one. When he found it, he set them each on either side of Kevin’s leg, arranging them to his satisfaction, and then pulled his shirt over his head.

“Uh, Edd…what are you doing?”

“I am crafting a splint for your leg. Would you be so kind as to tear this into strips for me?” Edd handed his shirt over, looking away so he wouldn’t wince when Kevin made the tears. This was one of his favorite shirts. With an inward sigh, he accepted the strips and got into place to tie them tightly around the sticks and Kevin’s leg. He paused, looking up to give the redhead an apologetic smile. “This is going to hurt.”

* * *

 In the end, it took four hours to hobble down the mountain, and when they finally reached the bottom, they had no idea where they were. They stumbled out onto a road, shivering and bleary eyed. The rain let up about halfway through their trip, but the cold night and the drops falling from the tree branches above them ensured that they stayed wet long after the storm. Kevin certainly looked worse for wear, pale and bruised from his fall, but Edd looked positively dead on his feet. He could hardly keep his eyes open, his breathing was ragged, and he’d been clutching a stitch in his side for the last hour. He shuddered violently and waved to flag down the third car in a row, and thankfully this driver ignored their questionable appearance and stopped. Edd left Kevin standing just to the side of the road and approached the truck, hands clasped pleadingly in front of him.

“…You boys need some help?” the man asked suspiciously. He leaned away from the window as Edd moved closer. “Wait, aren’t you two the ones everyone’s been looking for?”

“Yes!” Edd gasped. Relief and exhaustion had him sagging against the truck door. “Yes, we--well, _he_ got lost--”

“Hey!” Kevin protested.

“--and we had to walk down the mountain. His leg is broken. Can you take us to the hospital, please?”

“Nah. He’d have to sit in the bed of my truck with his leg like that, and with the roads wet I’m not willing to risk it. There’s a whole crew, ambulance and everything, at the base of the main road. I’ll go tell them where you are. Just stay put, okay?”

“Yes, sir. Of course.” Edd tried not to let his disappointment show in his face. He just wanted to be out of the cold. He took a few steps back and nodded. “We’ll wait here.”

The man accelerated about a foot and then stopped to twist around and reach for something behind the seat. He pulled out a thick blanket, tossing it to Edd who caught it clumsily. With a parting “try not to freeze to death,” the man was gone, rumbling down the road in his pickup. Edd was vaguely aware that he was crying when he turned to take the few shuffling steps back to Kevin, but the tears were warm on his face so he made no effort to stop.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Kevin asked. Edd gave him a look, and he amended, “Besides the obvious.”

“I just…you’re going to think this is stupid…”

“Nooo, baby. Of course I won’t.”

“It’s just that his truck was so warm,” Edd wailed dramatically, and when Kevin laughed so did he.

“C’mere.” Kevin bundled them both up under the blanket, Edd standing in front of him so Kevin could lean against him and rest his chin on the top of Edd’s beanie. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“You know what for.”

“Yes, but I want to hear you say it.”

“You little shit.” Kevin nudged Edd playfully. “I’m sorry for running away and falling off a cliff and making you walk me down a mountain in fucking ice rain.”

Edd hummed. “Apology accepted.”

They supported each other for less than ten minutes before a parade of vehicles came speeding up the road toward them. An ambulance, a police cruiser, the cars of a few volunteers, and Kevin’s parents were preceded by Eddy’s beat-up two-door. The short teen came to a screeching halt off the shoulder, and Nazz and Ed raced to be the first to their friends. The four of them wrapped up in a crushing group hug until Kevin complained about his leg.

“Oh, my god, of course! Sorry!” Nazz fussed. She took his arm from around Edd’s shoulders and placed it around her own. “Ed, help me out?”

The two half-carried Kevin over to the ambulance, letting the paramedics take over from there. Edd watched with a small smile, feeling himself begin to crumple under the weight of his tiredness.

“Dee.”

Edd turned to find Eddy standing nearby, hands shoved into his pockets. “Eddy, I--”

The brunet began to cry again as Eddy’s arms enveloped him securely. He hugged his friend to him, hands clutching the back of his shirt.

“Don’t _scare_ me like that,” Eddy whispered, reaching up to flick Edd’s ear.

“I’m s-sorry,” Edd hiccupped.

Eddy pulled back, holding Edd at arm’s length to look at him sternly. “I thought I said no more crying.”

“Yes, of course. You’re right.”

Eddy brought his hands up to Edd’s face, swiping at the tears with his thumbs. “You’re fine. I got you.”

“Ahem.” The two Eds turned together, Edd’s eyes curious and Eddy’s glaring, to face the paramedic. “Sorry, but he needs to come with us,” he said, pointing to Edd.

“Oh, that’s really not necessary,” Edd protested, but Eddy pushed him forward from behind.

“See you at the hospital, Sockhead. Try not to die or anything.”

Eddy grabbed Ed by the back of the jacket and dragged him back to his car. Nazz followed, waving over her shoulder. Kevin had already been loaded onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance, so Edd walked over to climb in as well, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked behind and felt his stomach drop when Kevin’s mother pulled him around. He stood silently, awaiting the lecture that was sure to come, when to his surprise he was embraced in a gentle hug.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Barr whispered in his ear. “We’re glad you’re safe, that you’re both safe.”

She released him and turned, returning to her car without looking back. Edd stared after her. When the paramedic gave him a little nudge, he shook his head and climbed into the vehicle.

“What took you so long, slowpoke?” Kevin teased.

“Nothing, Kevin.”

“Then why are you so smiley?”

Edd touched a hand to his lips. Sure enough, he was smiling. “Because everything is going to be just fine.”

“Damn straight it is. I dunno what kind of pain killer they gave me, but it’s _awesome_.”


	49. Chapter 48

After much fussing on Edd’s part, the doctor released him with a warning to keep warm and to return if anything felt off. He agreed hurriedly, signing the paperwork the nurse pushed his way, and hopped off the bed to find his friends in the waiting room.

“Sheesh, Double D, take a million years why don’t ya.” Eddy pushed off from the wall, hands in his pockets. The familiar impatience in his voice brought a smile to Edd’s face, and his short friend couldn’t help but return it. “So you’re good? Not gonna die of hypothermia or some shit?”

“Yes, Eddy. I’m fine. Which I _tried_ to tell both you and the paramedics back at the moun--”

“Yeah, yeah. Put a sock in it,” Eddy interrupted, tugging lightly at the end of Edd’s hat as he passed. “We going for food or what?”

“As tempted as that sounds, I think I would like to wait for Kevin. If that’s alright.”

“Whatever, you’re a big boy. Make your own decisions.” Eddy grumbled to himself, pulling Ed along behind him as he left.

The big Ed was panting like a dog for reasons unknown to all but himself. He followed Eddy on all fours. At the door, he stood up to his full height to shout, “We’ll bring you something, Double D!” before Eddy could drag him out of sight.

Edd covered a chuckle with his hand, shaking his head. His friends were very dear, very dear indeed. With a warm contentment in his heart, he spun around to locate a nurse and inquire as to Kevin’s location. She directed him to the back of the emergency room with a curious look, waving him off when he thanked her. Careful to stay out of the way, he walked the halls back to the room number she’d given him and turned into the room without knocking. He regretted it instantly as he came face to face with Kevin’s parents. He stumbled back to avoid a collision and wrung his hands nervously.

“Hello,” he offered.

Mr. Barr looked him over and grunted, folding his arms across his chest. “So you’re good to go?”

“Ah…yes. My immune system is quite strong…so…” Edd trailed off, feeling very much out of place.

“…Good.” Mr. Barr clapped a hand on his shoulder and pushed him to the side, but not unkindly. “I have work. You can give Kevin a ride home, right?”

“O-Oh, of course!” Edd nodded frantically. “Eddy should return in a short while and I’m sure he’d be delighted.” A little white lie never hurt anyone.

“Alright.”

With a curt nod, Mr. Barr was gone down the hall, rubbing at the back of his neck in a very familiar nervous gesture. Edd smiled to himself and turned when he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder. Mrs. Barr smiled back at him.

“Thank you, Eddward. You saved him, and we appreciate it more than we could ever say.” She paused, looking down the hall toward her husband thoughtfully. “I…can’t say that we approve. It’s going to take some adjustment on our part. But if Kevin is happy, then so am I. You’re a good kid.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Edd adjusted his hat on his head for something to do, face reddening with nerves. “I will do my best to improve him. I…care for him very deeply.”

“Mmm.” She offered a half-smile. “Well, I won’t keep you. I’m sure he’s dying to see you. Take care.” She turned to walk away but stopped a few steps later. “Um, would you like to join us for dinner sometime? Next Sunday, maybe?”

Edd smiled, and it came easily this time. “I would love to, thank you.”

She nodded and kept walking, but Edd didn’t stay to watch. He rushed through the door to Kevin’s side, burying himself in the hug that the redhead offered. They sat together like this for several minutes, not speaking, merely feeling the other breathe. It was the first opportunity since they’d left the mountain that they’d had to really allow themselves to feel okay, like things were finally alright. Edd almost wanted to cry, but before he could get the chance to, Kevin slid his fingers under the dork’s chin, lifting him up for a tender kiss.

“How are you feeling?” the redhead asked when they parted, a hand on the back of Edd’s neck ensuring that he didn’t stray far.

“Fine, fine.” Edd waved him off, turning the attention back to Kevin. “How are _you_ feeling? I see you’ve been fitted with a cast. When are they going to release you?”

“I’m just peachy.” Kevin grinned widely, and even though the action accentuated the bags under his eyes, Edd believed him. “The nurse is doing the paperwork right now, apparently. Should just be a few more minutes.”

“Excellent. Eddy has gone to get food with Ed, but when they return they’re our ride home.” Edd hesitated, careful eyes searching Kevin’s face. “I hope that’s alright. I did volunteer them without consulting with you, but your mother seemed to be in a hurry.”

“You talked to my mom?”

“Yes. She was…pleasant. She invited me for dinner next Sunday.”

Kevin groaned. “Of course she did. Probably thinks you’re too skinny. Don’t be surprised if she keeps putting food on your plate, and don’t be afraid to say when it’s enough.”

“That’s your only concern here?” Edd smoothed a wrinkle from Kevin’s shirt, a pointless exercise considering the general state of both of their outfits, but it gave his hands something to do.

“Yeah, actually.” Kevin wrapped his arms around Edd and held him close. “You were away for a couple of hours, you know. Plenty of time for me to have a long conversation with my parents about how important you are to me.”

“I see,” was Edd’s only response. The entire thing was still a bit strange and worrying to him, but he would trust the redhead to the ends of the earth and back. They moved on to discussion of other topics, essentially making small talk, until the nurse returned a few minutes later. She gave Kevin the same talk the doctor had given Edd, shoved a handful of papers toward him to be signed, and then situated him in a wheelchair to be walked to the front of the emergency room.

“Wait, wait, wait. No. I don’t need that. Just give me the crutches, I’ll do it myself.”

“It’s standard procedure,” the nurse and Edd said at the same time, both wearing the same motherly expression, and Kevin laughed so hard he wasn’t left with the energy to resist when the nurse insisted.

She wheeled him out into the waiting room and Edd held his hand. When they turned the corner they found Eddy and Ed walking in through the sliding doors, and Edd huffed at Eddy’s fake gag when the short teen caught sight of Edd and Kevin’s linked hands. The nurse handed Kevin his crutches, waited for him to stand and situate himself, and then left with a cheerful goodbye. Eddy threw an arm around Edd’s shoulders just to rub it in, and Kevin fumed silently over the fact that his broken leg prevented him from doing anything about it.

“Ready to go?” Eddy asked, ushering Edd through the door without waiting for a response. “Ed! Bring Shovelchin to the car!”

“Okie dokie, artichokie!” Ed shouted. He turned to scoop Kevin up and found a warning finger pointed in his direction.

“Try it and I’ll break _your_ leg,” Kevin threatened.

Ed held his hands up defensively. “Okay, Kevin.”

Cheeseburgers waited for them in the car, and they fell on them like starved wolves before Eddy started his car and pulled out of the parking lot. The drive home was loud, filled with the radio, Ed hanging out of the window like a dog, Eddy shouting at him to get his stupid head back inside, and Kevin and Edd laughing at their antics. It felt like home, like friendship, like everything was how it should be, and Edd couldn’t help the broad smile that stretched across his face and remained there long after they’d arrived home and helped Kevin into Edd’s house. They put a movie on, Ed found the popcorn in the kitchen, and the four settled in for hopefully a quiet afternoon. Within the hour, Edd was asleep, his head on Kevin’s lap while the redhead played with his hair. Yes, everything was going to be just fine.


	50. Chapter 49

Kevin stood on a doorstep that he’d stood on thousands of times before, and for the first time he hesitated to knock. This time was different. He wasn’t here to stay; he was here to pick a certain someone up and take him out. Out in downtown Peach Creek. With his parents. _Fuck._

He shifted his crutches, tucking them both under his left arm, and lifted his free hand to knock. Before he could, the door flew open, a hand closed around the front of the shirt, and he was jerked inside before the door slammed shut behind him. He staggered, trying to keep his balance on his one good leg, and by the time the disorientation had worn off he had two pale arms wrapped securely around his waist.

“Edd?”

“No, don’t speak. You’ll ruin it.”

Kevin ran his hand up and down Edd’s back softly, following the curve of his spine. “You nervous?”

“I believe I asked you not to speak.”

“Nah, you kinda demanded it actually.”

“Kevin, you are ruining it.”

The redhead laughed and buried his face in Edd’s hat, and Edd couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. Of course he was nervous. He was about to have dinner with his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s suspicious parents, who until recently were thoroughly prepared to do everything in their power to keep the two teenagers well apart. He had no reason to not be nervous…except perhaps for the solid weight in front of him.

“I’m ready,” Edd said into Kevin’s shirt, but he didn’t let go quite yet. “Are you certain--”

“Yes, Edd. For the billionth time. It’s gonna be fine.” Kevin tugged at the end of Edd’s hat until the dork’s forehead was exposed and planted a kiss there. “Eddy’s letting us borrow his car, right?”

“Yes, with a strict warning that should we put so much as a scratch in it he will disembowel us.” Edd fished the keys from his pocket and gave them a little shake. “We’re also strictly forbidden from engaging in any sordid activities in it, but I figured that was sort of a given.”

“Aw, damn.”

* * *

 

The restaurant was small, quiet, more of a café in Edd’s opinion. He’d chosen it himself, knowing that it was clean and served dishes that appealed to him. He also had it on good authority that the burgers were acceptable, something he was sure Kevin and his father would appreciate. He’d hoped to arrive early to give himself time to prepare himself mentally for the occasion, but it seemed Mr. and Mrs. Barr had had the same idea. They arrived at the same time. Fumbling hugs and muttered greetings were exchanged quickly, the rumbling of stomachs enough to hurry them inside. Within a few minutes, they were seated with drinks--sodas for the Barrs and a water for Edd--and staring down at their menus in awkward silence. Edd knew what he wanted before he walked in the door, and he had a sneaking suspicion that so had everyone else, but the laminated pages offered the distraction that was needed. Too soon, it was time to order their dishes, and their distractions were removed from in front of them.

“So…” Mrs. Barr began.

Mr. Barr grunted in response. “Did you boys catch the game last night?”

Kevin and Edd exchanged a glance. “Er, no. Edd had a documentary he wanted to watch.”

“Documentary?” Kevin’s father looked as if he’d swallowed a bug.

“Yeah.” Kevin shrugged a shoulder and lifted his glass to his lips. “It was about bigfoot. A bunch of guys went out with all this equipment trying to find him.”

“Did they?”

Edd swallowed a grin at Mr. Barr’s sudden interest and shook his head. “No, of course not. He is a mythical creature.”

“Oh, you think you’re so smart, huh?” The man leaned across the table and Edd leaned back, eyes widening in alarm. “Can you prove he doesn’t exist?”

“W-Well, no…” A glance to Kevin offered no aid; the redhead had his head in his hands and was shaking it. “But in the many, many years since the first supposed sighting there has never been any valid evidence to prove that he does.”

“So just because there isn’t any evidence, he doesn’t exist? Is that how your science works?”

“…Yes?”

“Bullshit.” Mr. Barr sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll have you know that I’ve _seen_ bigfoot with my own two eyes.”

“Have you?” Edd’s face lit up with amusement. He looked again to Kevin and found his boyfriend gesturing frantically for him to stop talking.

“I have,” Mr. Barr replied, mocking Edd’s voice. “Let me tell you, this is a great story.”

“Oh, god,” Kevin groaned. “Not again.”

* * *

 

Two hours later, the two couples were fed, satisfied, and completely sick of bigfoot. As they walked out to the cars Edd and Mr. Barr led the way, both sets of hands moving animatedly as they debated, and Kevin couldn’t help but smile. His mother set an arm around his shoulders and hugged him, the gesture made uncomfortable by his crutches but the sentiment appreciated.

“Honey, I’m sorry we ever doubted you. He’s absolutely charming.” She smiled fondly at the two males in front of them. “I can’t believe he got you to watch a documentary over a game!”

“I kept up with the score on my phone. Besides, it was interesting.”

“It must have been.” They walked a few paces in silence before she spoke again. “I just want you to be happy, Kevin.”

“I am, Mom.”

“Good.”

They reached their cars and Mr. Barr clapped Kevin on the shoulder before extending a hand to Edd. “We’ll finish this another time, I guess. I need to do some research.”

“Yes,” Edd said brightly, taking the offered hand and shaking firmly. “Another time.”

“You boys have fun,” Kevin’s father said, wincing when he realized what that implied. “But not too much. You know what I mean. Kevin, I want you home by eleven.”

“Eleven?!”

“Twelve.”

“Dad.”

“Okay, fine. Just come home.”

“I _will_. Can we go now?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Kevin and Edd waved as the redhead’s parents pulled out, Kevin sneaking an arm around Edd’s shoulders. Afterward, Edd turned a raised brow on Kevin.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Ah…” Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I thought we could go see a movie or something.”

“…You mean in public?”

“Yeah.”

“In _Peach Creek_?”

“Yeah? Where else?”

Edd took Kevin by both shoulders and searched his eyes worriedly. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes!” Irritated, Kevin shrugged Edd off and rolled his eyes. “Look, everyone knows now, alright?”

“W…What?”

“Yeah, dork. You know, for a genius you’re pretty stupid.” Kevin shifted on his crutches and gave an awkward, half-hearted shrug. “Did you think those guys from the team were just gonna keep quiet about it?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. I had to turn my phone off, I had so many people texting me shit about it.” Edd paled and the redhead backtracked. “Not shit like that. I just meant texting me about it. Believe it or not, but those douchebags I call teammates are in the minority. Most people don’t really seem to care. Go figure.”

“I…don’t think I believe you, but I appreciate your efforts to reassure me.”

“Then let me prove it to you.” Kevin nodded toward the car and the pair climbed in. “Let’s go see a movie, baby.”

Against his better judgment, Edd pointed the car in the direction of the theater, parking reasonably far away from any other cars for Eddy’s sake. It took a few minutes more of cajoling to get him out of the car, but before long he was standing behind Kevin in line for tickets. The girl behind the counter was a classmate, on the cheerleading squad if Edd’s memory served, and her eyes lit up when she saw Kevin only to narrow when the redhead pulled Edd up beside him.

“Two tickets, please, Ariana,” Kevin said lightly, holding up two fingers.

She rang him up silently, but leaned over the counter when she was done to say quietly, “You’re really dating this nerd?”

“Yep.” Kevin took the tickets from her fingers and nudged Edd toward the door.

Ariana scoffed. “Whatever.”

Edd led the way inside, face bright red, and when the door shut behind them he rounded on Kevin, hands set on his hips.

“Okay, okay. That was a bad example.” Kevin shrugged unapologetically. “Look, it doesn’t matter! She just proved my point. Everyone knows. So let’s just forget about them and enjoy ourselves for once. Come on, let’s get popcorn.”

“You just ate!”

“So?”


	51. Chapter 50

“Dee, would you _calm down_?” Eddy demanded for the billionth time. “It’s just graduation! What are you even nervous about? You scared they’re gonna take your diploma away for being too anal?”

A bitter, hateful look sent his direction had the short teen shutting up, and Ed leaned over to put his head in between his two friends and mediate.

“Double D’s just nervous about his speechy thing, Eddy! He has to give us all good wishes or we’ll be eaten up by the graduation fairies! It’s a big responsibility,” he said sagely, nodding his head.

“Yeah, well, don’t worry,” Eddy grumbled. “You’re freaking me out. Besides, if anything goes wrong, Kevin’ll just punch it until it starts working again.”

With a sigh, Edd released his hold around his knees and set his feet on Eddy’s bedroom floor. “You don’t understand, Eddy, and I don’t expect you to, but could you at least refrain from making me feel worse about it? I know it’ll be a struggle for you--”

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

“--but surely a little effort won’t hurt.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Eddy grumbled an affirmative. Ed’s face split in a grin, and he hugged his two friends tightly to his sides and began blubbering. His friends’ protests went unheard and unheeded until a knock at the door had him up on his feet.

“Bark!” he yelled gleefully. “Bark, bark!”

“Who is it, boy?” Eddy asked, his face alight with sarcastic enthusiasm.

Edd rolled his eyes and got up to answer the door. A familiar redhead greeted him on the other side with a crushing hug.

“Stop stressing about this stupid speech right the fuck now,” he said, setting a dazed Edd back on his feet.

“Already took care of that, Sir Late-A-Lot,” Eddy grumbled. He waved a hand at them. “Well, go on then. See you there, Dee.”

“Bye, asshole!” Kevin said cheerfully, pulling Edd out into the sunshine. Down the driveway, he tossed his spare helmet to Edd. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” the skinny teen sighed, fitting the helmet over his head.

“That’s my dork.”

* * *

 

The speech went perfectly, much to no one’s surprise. The ceremony took forever, even by Edd’s standards, but eventually it ended. A sea of hats rose into the air--“Yes, what a phenomenal way to express our graduation from four years of education, tossing pointed hats directly above our heads…”--and friends clashed with friends in group hugs, some crying, some laughing, most taking pictures. Edd quickly lost Kevin to the crowd, but he didn’t mind. It wasn’t hard to find Ed, and with his tall friend came his short one. Ed swept them up into a big hug and Edd patted his arm comfortingly.

“Don’t fret, Ed. Even though you didn’t get into the university Eddy and I are attending, I assure you that you’ll see plenty of us.”

Eddy and Ed exchanged a look. “You didn’t tell him?” Eddy said, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“I wanted to surprise him!” Ed replied. He dropped his friends to reach into his pocket and pull out a crumpled piece of paper. He held it out to Edd and then jumped from foot to foot in anticipation. “Read it, read it!”

Confusion creasing his brow, Edd took the paper and smoothed it out, blue eyes darting across the text. As he read, his face split into a wide smile. “Oh, Ed! A football scholarship? Well deserved, indeed!”

“Yeah! I’m going to college with you guys! My mom was so happy she cried, and Sarah even gave me a pat on the arm!”

Eddy snatched the paper and shoved it back into Ed’s pocket. “Yeah, yeah, we’re proud of you, blah, let’s get the hell out of this dump!”

Edd cast a wistful glance over the auditorium before nodding. “Yes, of course.”

“Ice cream!” Ed shouted, running for the door as students left and right dove out of his way.

Eddy rolled his eyes and Edd hid a smile behind his hand. The two friends glanced at each other, and Eddy bumped his hip into Edd’s. “Come on, let’s make sure he doesn’t flip a car or something.”

As they walked through the halls for the last time, Edd tuned out Eddy’s ramblings and simply allowed himself to feel sad. A major chapter in his life had come to a close, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, he was glad to be rid of it. University held so many opportunities for him that sometimes he wished he’d taken the easy way out and simply graduated early, but a glance to the side reminded him of the reason he hadn’t. His dear friends…what would he do without them? No, he was better off here, and now there, with them. Kevin was a wonderful boyfriend, and he was glad to have him, but when the world came tumbling down and the dust finally settled, Edd knew that his two closest friends would be there for him.

“Sockhead!” Eddy shouted, snapping Edd from his thoughts. The shorter teen was already down the hall, pulling Ed along by his collar. “You comin’, or what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam, it’s done. Sort of. How am I supposed to write endings, I don’t know. Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading!


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